Marielle Franco’s Family Opposes Federal Police Investigation of Assassination

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The family of city councilor Marielle Franco, who was murdered in March 2018, published a statement in which they disagree with Sérgio Moro, the Minister of Justice, who now advocates the federalization of investigations into the death of the politician and her driver Anderson Gomes.

“The Prosecutor’s Office of the State of Rio de Janeiro has made significant progress and that is why we are in favor of the institution remaining in charge of investigating the case,” said the family in a note signed by relatives and federal deputy Marcelo Freixo.

According to the statement, the minister has always expressed little interest in the investigation of the murder.

“Only after mentioning the President of the Republic, Jair Bolsonaro, in the inquiry, did the minister begin to publicly speak out in favor of the federalization. We believe that Sérgio Moro will help much more if he stays away from the investigations,” said Marinete da Silva (mother), Antonio Francisco da Silva (father), Anielle Franco (sister), Monica Benício (wife) and Marcelo Freixo in a statement.

On Friday, November 1st, during the inauguration of a police station in Curitiba, the minister said that “maybe it is the case” to federalize the investigation.

According to ‘Broadcast Político’, the third panel of the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) should review the Office of the Prosecutor General’s (PGR) request to federalize the investigations into the murder by December, and that there is a tendency for approval.

Should the case be federalized, it would be conducted by the Federal Justice and the investigations would be conducted by the Federal Police, commanded by Moro, out of the jurisdiction of the Civil Police and the courts of Rio de Janeiro.

Source: Estadão