After Barroso denies habeas, governor of TO makes new attempt to resume office

Less than a week after seeing a habeas corpus request frustrated to try to return to the position of governor of Tocantins, Wanderlei Barbosa (Republicans) makes a new attack on the Federal Supreme Court (STF). Through an appeal called a statutory appeal, Wanderlei’s defense seeks to overturn the individual decision of Minister Luís Roberto Barroso who rejected the request for habeas corpus for the head of the Executive – target of Operation Fames-19, by the Federal Police, on suspicion of being linked to a corruption scheme in pandemic contracts.

Last week, on the 9th, Barroso rejected a request for habeas corpus from the governor, to resume his position.

Wanderlei’s removal was decreed in August by Minister Mauro Campbell, of the Superior Court of Justice (STJ), and confirmed by the Special Court of the STJ.

The governor is being investigated in Operation Fames-19 – an investigation into suspected corruption and embezzlement of funds intended for the purchase of basic food baskets during the covid-19 pandemic.

Campbell also imposed precautionary measures on the governor, such as removal from public office and prohibition of access or attendance, for a period of one year, at the Palácio de Araguaia, buildings and offices of the State’s direct and indirect public administration and the Legislative Assembly of Tocantins.

The defense took the case to the Supreme Court. The lawyers claim that Wanderlei Barbosa was removed from office “based on conclusions” and that the measure is “drastic”. They also argue that the suspicions predate the beginning of the governor’s term.

According to the defense of the Chief Executive, “the restrictive measure was imposed based on a generic and abstract argument”.

Wanderlei’s lawyers maintain that there is no evidence that he “participated in or agreed to any illicit activity”. They also claim that the governor’s removal was decreed “in disagreement with the statements of the Attorney General’s Office”.

The defense emphasizes “the measure’s lack of contemporaneity, since the police representation for the act was drawn up at the end of 2024, and the coercive act was only drawn up on September 3, 2025”.

“The passage of an enormous period of time unequivocally shows that there is no urgency in adopting such a drastic measure as the removal of a State governor”, ​​emphasize the lawyers.

When analyzing the appeal, Barroso considered that the STJ’s decision had “proper foundations”.

“Habeas corpus should not be granted. The documents that inform this process do not demonstrate a situation of flagrant illegality, teratology or abuse of power that would authorize the granting of the order”, wrote the minister in a decision on the 9th.

Barroso anticipated his retirement from the STF. This will be the minister’s last week in court.

In his decision, the minister transcribed excerpts from Mauro Campbell’s demonstration that decreed the governor’s removal: “The police authority managed to gather new elements of conviction that not only corroborated the previously established suspicions, but also brought new elements, indicating the contemporaneity and currentity of the systematic scheme of diversion of public resources, money laundering and the formation of a criminal organization, established under the current administration. by Wanderlei Barbosa Castro”.

Conviction

The breach of the secrecy of documents and dialogues by businessman Paulo César Lustosa Limeira – ex of the first lady of Tocantins and alleged bribery operator – reveals that he, according to the Federal Police, during the Wanderlei Barbosa government, “acted as a type of intermediary in the execution of the criminal scheme of embezzlement of public resources through contracts for the supply of basic food baskets, with broad access to the top of the Executive Branch Tocantinense State”.

frozen chicken

“The analysis of the dialogues held by Adriana Rodrigues Santos with different interlocutors also brought very strong evidence of the governor receiving an undue advantage, due to the animal protein supply contract for the Secretariat of Labor and Social Assistance (Setas)”, state the files of Operation Fames-19.

“In dialogue with Johnson Marcos Milhomens Fonseca, former social and political participation advisor to the State government, Adriana made several demands in the amount of R$550,000 which she allegedly handed over in cash to Governor Wanderlei Barbosa, as a bribe, due to the frozen chicken supply contract.”