Brazilian Federal Police find no conversations between Rivaldo Barbosa and Marielle Franco.
The information was sent to the Supreme Federal Court (STF) at the request of Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
Brazil Agency - The Federal Police (PF) informed Minister Alexandre de Moraes of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) that they found no conversations on the cell phone of the former head of the Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro, Rivaldo Barbosa (pictured), with councilwoman Marielle Franco, who was murdered in March 2018 along with her driver, Anderson Gomes.
Moraes had ordered this week the release of any conversations between the two, at the request of Rivaldo's defense, who was accused by the Attorney General's Office (PGR) of being one of the masterminds of the crime. Lawyer Marcelo Ferreira intended to use the material to demonstrate that the two had a cordial and professional relationship. Rivaldo has been in pre-trial detention since March of last year.
According to the Attorney General's Office, he allegedly planned and ordered the murder of the city councilwoman, and also acted to obstruct the investigations into the crime while he was head of the Civil Police of the state of Rio de Janeiro.
In addition to dialogues with Marielle, the police officer's defense wanted the Federal Police to forward any conversations between Rivaldo and detectives Giniton Lages and Daniel Rosa, who worked on the Marielle case, and Brenno Carnevale, who reported interference from superiors in the work of the Homicide Division of the capital. The defense intends to argue that the former head of the Civil Police made demands regarding the investigation of the murder.
In the official letter sent to the Supreme Federal Court (STF), Federal Police delegate Guilhermo Catambry also stated that the forensic analysis found no dialogue with any of the individuals mentioned on the device seized from Rivaldo. "Nor were conversations with these people found on Rivaldo's wife's cell phone," the investigator reported.
Crime
Councilwoman Marielle Franco and her driver Anderson Gomes were murdered on March 14, 2018, in downtown Rio de Janeiro. They were shot at from a moving vehicle.
According to the Attorney General's Office's indictment, Congressman Chiquinho Brazão (independent-RJ) acted together with his brother Domingos Brazão, a member of the Rio de Janeiro State Court of Auditors, and Rivaldo Barbosa, to plan Marielle's murder.
The motivation would be the councilwoman's actions against land grabbing in areas controlled by militias in the western zone of Rio de Janeiro.
