Moraes Orders Federal Police Macro Inquiry Into Rio Crime and Public‑Sector Infiltration

Overview

• Supreme Court minister Alexandre de Moraes converted a secret preliminary petition into a formal inquiry and directed the Federal Police to open a macro investigation centered on money laundering schemes and infiltration of criminal groups into public bodies in Rio.
• The court requested a Federal Police report on steps taken since August and requisitioned images of recent operations to assess possible excessive use of force, reinforcing calls for independent forensics and stronger oversight by prosecutors.
• The action builds on the ADPF das Favelas ruling that assigned the Federal Police a role in mapping leadership, finances and connections with agents, with Moraes highlighting the lack of autonomy of Rio’s technical‑scientific police.
• The Senate’s Organized Crime CPI began work under president Fabiano Contarato with Alessandro Vieira as rapporteur, approved requests to hear ministers and governors including Cláudio Castro and Tarcísio de Freitas, and flagged federal security investment as very low.
• Congressional responses diverged as the Chamber’s CCJ postponed a vote on labeling factions as terrorists while the government’s PL Antifacção advanced proposals to toughen penalties, cut off criminal revenues and curb infiltration; separately, PT leader Lindbergh Farias asked the STF to probe Governor Cláudio Castro over alleged sovereignty breaches tied to contacts with the U.S. DEA.