Brazilian court indicts former Iphan superintendent.

Vitor Abdala
Reporter from Agência Brasil

Rio de Janeiro – The First Federal Criminal Court accepted charges against the former regional superintendent of the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (Iphan), Carlos Fernando de Souza Leão Andrade. He is accused of illegally issuing prior authorization for the demolition of the marquee at the Jornalista Mário Filho Stadium, the Maracanã, in 2011, during renovations for the 2014 World Cup.

According to the complaint filed by the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF), Andrade could not have authorized the work, since it would alter the appearance and structure of the Maracanã stadium, which has been listed as a national heritage site by Iphan since 2000. Furthermore, according to the MPF, the agency's Advisory Council in Brasília considered the former superintendent's action irregular.

During the renovation, the canopy covering the stadium's stands was demolished and replaced with a canvas covering. Another employee was also denounced for having given a favorable opinion on the demolition three weeks after the former superintendent authorized it.

Andrade says he has not yet been notified by the court and therefore is unaware of the content of the complaint. "The Public Prosecutor's Office may have considered it illegal, but that doesn't make the action illegal. I have to find out [about the action] and what accusations the judge accepted. I don't know what's in the case file and I can't comment," the former superintendent told Agência Brasil.
Carlos Fernando de Souza Leão Andrade is charged with the crime of altering the appearance or structure of a building protected by law, as stipulated in article 63 of the Environmental Crimes Law (Law 9.605/1998), which provides for a penalty of one to three years in prison and a fine.