Brazilian Senate Installs Organized Crime Inquiry, Elects Contarato to Lead and Vieira as Rapporteur

Overview

• Senators voted 6–5 to make Fabiano Contarato president of the CPI do Crime Organizado, with Alessandro Vieira named rapporteur and Hamilton Mourão chosen as vice president.
• The majority was cemented after the PSD replaced Nelsinho Trad with Ângelo Coronel as a titular member and PT leader Jaques Wagner ceded his spot to elevate Contarato from alternate.
• Opposition lawmakers protested the maneuvers and argued that a PT senator at the helm undermines the inquiry’s legitimacy.
• Although the government-aligned bloc currently holds six of the 11 titular seats, session outcomes can shift if alternates replace absentees.
• The inquiry was created in response to a Rio de Janeiro police operation targeting Comando Vermelho that left 121 people dead and will probe criminal financing, militias, prison networks and infiltration in public institutions.