Rio Suspends IRM Contracts and Removes Leaders After Prosecutors Allege R$86.28 Million Diversion

Overview

• The state published orders on Wednesday that exonerated 30 commissioned IRM staff, named two new directors and placed Roberto Lisandro Leão as interim president while contract payments were suspended.
• The Ministério Público says an investigation of contracts from July 2022 to May 2026 uncovered a scheme that moved R$86.28 million through IRM agreements and into a façade group called Instituto BIO before cash withdrawals.
• A July 9 prosecutor-led operation executed six arrest warrants and nine search orders and later denounced 11 people for alleged organized crime, corruption, procurement fraud and money laundering.
• The suspended payments will be reviewed by a joint IRM–Controladoria‑Geral do Estado working group given 30 days to audit contracts and report findings to the state and prosecutors.
• Authorities say the case shows alleged institutional capture of a metropolitan planning agency and could prompt wider restructuring of state bodies and tighter controls over contract oversight.