PF removes Rodrigo Manga from Sorocaba City Hall in action against corruption in Health

The mayor of Sorocaba (SP), Rodrigo Manga (Republicans), was removed from office for 180 days this Thursday (6) by decision of the Federal Regional Court of the 3rd Region, following a request from the Federal Police. The measure is part of the second phase of Operation Copy and Paste, which investigates suspected corruption and money laundering in health contracts. Vice-mayor Fernando Neto (PSD) took charge of the municipal Executive.

According to the PF, the action complied with seven search and seizure warrants and two preventive arrests, in addition to the suspension of Manga’s public service and the freezing of around R$6.5 million in the assets of those being investigated. Among those arrested is businessman Marco Silva Mott, identified as a lobbyist and friend of the mayor.

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The investigation is an offshoot of the operation started in April, which seeks to dismantle a group suspected of embezzling public resources through a social organization hired by the city hall. The court also ordered a ban on contact between some of those investigated.

In a video published on social media, the mayor stated that he had been removed while he was traveling to Brasília and associated the measure with “political interests”. “Believe it or not, they removed me from the position of mayor (…) they are trying to remove anyone who threatens their candidacy from the game,” he said.

The city hall informed, in a statement, that Fernando Neto took over the position “until the facts are clarified”, guaranteeing the continuity of public services. Mott’s defense told g1 that the arrest is based on “conjecture and assumptions” and that it will appeal to the court to reverse the decision.

Rodrigo Manga, re-elected in 2024, gained national notoriety for his activities on social media, where he became known as “mayor tiktoker”. His digital popularity, combined with his ascending political career, had placed him as a potential candidate for state or federal office. The court decision does not imply loss of mandate, but may be extended depending on the progress of the investigations.