Rio Assembly President Rodrigo Bacellar Arrested in Leak Probe as STF Removes Him From Post

Overview

• Federal Police executed Operation Unha e Carne with a preventive arrest and multiple searches, including Bacellar’s Alerj office, and he remains held at the PF headquarters in Rio.
• Minister Alexandre de Moraes cited messages and images that show TH Joias labeling Bacellar “01,” sending photos of agents inside his home, and receiving alleged guidance to remove items from the residence.
• Moraes framed the case within the ADPF 635 investigations, describing a “parallel state” and deep Comando Vermelho infiltration in public institutions to justify preventive detention and removal from the Alerj presidency.
• The Alerj’s CCJ will review the case before a plenary vote that can maintain or revoke the detention, while first vice president Guilherme Delaroli assumed the assembly’s command.
• A PF filing suggests the suspected leak sought to preserve political ties with the Comando Vermelho ahead of the 2026 elections, as Bacellar’s defense calls the arrest disproportionate and predicts the house will overturn it.