Bigwigs involved in killing of Rio Councilor Marielle Franco
Brazil’s Public Security Minister Raul Jungmann said he is convinced powerful individuals are involved in the killings of Rio de Janeiro City Councilor Marielle Franco and her driver Anderson Gomes, which took place on March 14 this year.
“Prosecutor-General [Raquel Dodge] had the chance to hear two testimonies—one by Orlando Curicica, and the other by a still anonymous witness—in which extremely serious accusations were made to public officials in Rio de Janeiro, claiming major efforts are being made in a major scheme which implicates public officials, militia , and politicians not interested in seeing Marielle [Franco]’s case solved, as they are thought to be involved in this case themselves—maybe not as perpetrators, but as the ones who ordered it done,” Jungmann declared.
When asked whether the involvement of powerful figures in the murder of the city councilor was a certainty or an assumption, the minister said: “I’d say it’s more than a certainty.” Despite revealing he has been given access to important information on the case, Jungmann did not confirm whether it will be solved still this year.
“We started a little more than three weeks ago, but I’m convinced that the Federal Police—one of the best police bodies in the world—is going to make strides and unveil the plot conceived by these powerful individuals. We’re getting to them, whoever they are. The federal government is detached enough to be able to make progress in this clean-up in Rio de Janeiro. That’s what it’s about,” Jungmann said.
