Rio Finds Computer Hidden in Duct inside “Kickback HQ” for Corruption Scheme

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The current administration of the Rio de Janeiro City Hall located a desktop computer concealed in the ceiling paneling, where the air-conditioning ducts are located, in the administrative department of the former RioTur headquarters, in the Cidade das Artes, west side of the capital, early on Monday afternoon, January 11th.

The Rio de Janeiro Civil Police was called to remove the desktop from a hatch in the premises’ ceiling – pointed out as the “Kickback HQ”, an alleged corruption scheme which led to the arrest of ex-Mayor Marcelo Crivella when he was about to complete his mandate.

Experts from the Forensic Investigation Bureau (CIAF) then collected and conducted preliminary investigations into the equipment. According to police reports, the equipment had no hard disk – the component on which files and data are recorded – and no memory.

The police found no fingerprints in the examination. However, the casing had a City Hall property registry identification number, which had been scraped off. The police are now looking into who was the public servant using the computer and what department the computer came from.

The equipment was found last Thursday, January 8th, after staff identified a leak in the room’s air conditioner. When opening the paneling for maintenance, the repairman found the computer casing in the ducts protected by layers of foam. The room was then sealed until the police arrived on site.

Questioned, the Rio City Hall said it will not comment on the matter. For its part, the Civil Police said that investigations were still in progress.

Riotur’s administrative department was headed by Marcelo Alves, who was appointed to the position by his brother, Rafael Alves.

According to investigations by the police and the Rio de Janeiro Prosecutor’s Office (MP-RJ), Rafael is pointed out as the operator of the so-called “Kickback HQ”, a purported corruption scheme that involved several city departments asking entrepreneurs for a percentage in exchange for municipal administration contracts.

According to the state Prosecutor’s Office, despite not holding a position formally linked to the city hall, Rafael Alves had an office within the Cidade das Artes to mediate the scheme. He and Crivella were arrested on December 22nd, in the second stage of Operation Hades. Crivella was released the next day by a ruling of Superior Court of Justice (STJ) judge Humberto Martins and is under house arrest, monitored by an electronic anklet.