Rio Judge Acquits 7 Remaining Defendants in Flamengo Training-Center Fire Case

Overview

• The first‑instance ruling, issued on Oct. 21 by the Rio de Janeiro 36th Criminal Court and signed by Judge Tiago Fernandes de Barros, is subject to appeal by the state prosecutor’s office.
• The decision cites a lack of proof of penally relevant fault and rejects the forensic report as methodologically insufficient to establish how the fire ignited.
• Those cleared include former Flamengo executives Márcio Garotti and Marcelo Maia de Sá, NHJ officials Claudia Pereira Rodrigues, Danilo da Silva Duarte, Fábio Hilário da Silva and Weslley Gimenes, and refrigeration contractor Edson Colman.
• The 2019 blaze at the Ninho do Urubu complex killed 10 academy players, ages 14 to 16, who were sleeping in provisional container housing that lacked a city operating permit, with investigators having posited an air‑conditioner short circuit that the court said was not proven.
• The MP-RJ had sought convictions after hearing more than 40 witnesses, and the acquittals prompted fresh online criticism and renewed questions about institutional accountability.