Franco Netto, from Fiocruz, is free and at home.

By Marcelo Auler, on your blog - By decision of Minister Gilmar Mendes, of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), Fiocruz researcher Guilherme Franco Netto was released this Sunday morning (09/08) and is already at his home in Petrópolis.

Mendes extended to Guilherme and two other prisoners from Operation Dardanários the injunction he granted Friday night in Claim No. 42.622/RJ, ordering the release of Alexandre Baldy de Santanna Braga, the licensed health secretary of the São Paulo government, who was arrested in the same Federal Police operation.

According to the Supreme Court Justice, the arrest ordered by Federal Judge Marcelo Bretas, of the 7th Federal Court of Rio, occurred as a substitute for the coercive detention of the suspects/investigated parties. These coercive detentions, which Operation Lava Jato made commonplace, were prohibited by the full Supreme Court following the judgment of the Constitutional Non-Compliance Claims (ADPF) 444 and 395, in May 2019. ADPF 444 was reported by Mendes himself.

In granting the request for an extension of the injunction made by lawyer Rafael Borges, from Professor Nilo Batista's office, Mendes also ordered the release of Rafael Bastos Lousa Vieira and Rodrigo Sérgio Dias. The minister, in his decision, made it clear that the arrests had the same justification and aimed only to further the investigations.

“In addition to the arguments related to the seriousness of the facts, the magistrate cited the essential need for temporary detention so that the suspects could be heard by the police authority without the possibility of prior agreement on versions with other members,” Mendes wrote.

This led the minister to conclude:The conclusion drawn is that the arrest warrant The temporary measure issued against the applicant contradicts the ruling of the Supreme Federal Court in ADPF 444-DF.".

Guilherme was being held at the José Frederico Marques prison in Benfica. On Saturday, a rotation of lawyers visited him to keep him informed about what was being done to get him out of prison. He even learned about the petition of support and solidarity, with more than 1.500 signatures from friends and colleagues at Fiocruz, which can be accessed [here]. here  .

Early in the afternoon of this Sunday, Father's Day, Guilherme was already with his family at his home in Petrópolis, from where he was removed on Thursday morning (August 6th) by a team from the Federal Police, as part of Operation [Operation Name].