Justice of RJ sends accusation to STJ that accuses Castro of corruption

Governor is accused of receiving R$ 100 thousand when he was still Wilson Witzel’s deputy

The TJ-RJ (Court of Justice of Rio de Janeiro) decided this Monday (4.Jul.2022) that it will send to the STJ (Superior Court of Justice) the request of the governor of Rio de Janeiro, Cláudio Castro (PL), to nullify the accusation in which he was accused of receiving bribes.

Castro is investigated by the Civil Police’s Catarata operation. The action investigates alleged deviations from contracts of the Leão XIII State Foundation, an entity subordinated to the deputy governor of the State. The foundation is responsible for offering eyeglasses, exams and eye surgery to the low-income population.

The governor is accused of receiving R$ 100 thousand from a representative of the entity after assuming the position of vice president of Wilson Witzel (PSC), but denies that he committed the crime.

Castro’s defense had filed a request to annul the accusation of Bruno Selem –an employee of Sevlog, a company that provided services to the foundation– with the MP (Public Ministry). According to Selem, Castro received the money from businessman Flávio Chadud.

According to a report by G1the governor’s lawyers claim that Selem’s testimony was heard without any type of record or recording, which would cast doubt on the transparency of the accusation.

The MP affirms that the recording of accusations was not mandatory at the time of the deposition, which, according to the agency, was accompanied by lawyers from “full trust”.