Raquel defends Police after Campos denounces monitoring: ‘Legally’

After the complaint came to light that the Civil Police of Pernambuco monitored the secretary of Political Articulation of Recife City Hall, governor Raquel Lyra (PSD) defended the institution by declaring that the corporation performed “its role within the law”, this Wednesday. The case became a new front of conflict between Lyra and her opponent João Campos (PSB), mayor of the capital.

— The Police received a serious complaint of corruption. He carried out his investigative role within the law as always. We are a government that respects the laws — said Lyra, in a video published on the governor’s social media — Nobody is above the law either. Of course, you always need to fight corruption.

The Civil Police monitored Secretary Gustavo Monteiro between August and October last year. The state’s Department of Social Defense claims that the procedure, initiated after receiving an anonymous complaint, was legal and that it was archived without pointing out any irregularities. In a video published on social media, Campos said that measures without a court order constitute politically motivated persecution.

— What is at stake is not the police investigating, but doing it the right way. I don’t tolerate corruption, but I also don’t tolerate persecution,” he said. — I wanted to tell you that all of this will not go unpunished. Because everything is not worth competing in an election.

Monteiro was followed by car by agents, who shared information about the secretary’s routine in a message group, in which delegates also participated. In the group, a photo of the secretary was shared, accompanied by a second message that described him as “target of the mission”. The case was revealed by TV Record on Sunday.

Vehicle tracker

The agents followed a car that was used by both Monteiro and his brother, Eduardo, who also ended up being monitored. In September, tracking equipment was installed in the vehicle, which was parked near a market in Recife, where Eduardo, who works as an advisor at the city hall, was shopping.

“Good morning. The vehicle’s routine was repeated in the morning. Vehicle arrives at city hall at 8 am. It enters the basement garage and leaves very quickly, with just the driver”, says one of the messages obtained by the television station.

In a statement, the Civil Police of Pernambuco said it had launched the “New Mission” operation after receiving an anonymous complaint about the alleged payment of bribes being made to a public servant in the municipality of Recife. As the investigation found no evidence, an investigation was never opened. Authorities deny irregularities in the procedure.

“According to consolidated jurisprudence of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), anonymous complaints do not authorize the immediate initiation of a police investigation, being used only as a source of information, which is why preliminary investigations were initiated, as usual, focused on the movement of the vehicle in question, to verify whether or not the complaint was founded”, says the body.

On Monday, the Secretary of Social Defense, Alessandro Carvalho, defended the conduct of the Civil Police and stated that the procedure was regular. According to him, judicial authorization is not required to install the equipment used to track the car.

Recife city hall reacted and said in a statement that it “repudiates any attempt to misuse Pernambuco’s police forces for political persecution.” In the text, the municipal administration says that the episode “characterizes illegal, unconstitutional and immoral conduct”, in addition to being an “attempted electoral use”.

Lawyer Eduardo Trindade, who represents Monteiro, says he asked the Civil Police for a copy of the procedure:

— What we want to know is whether the investigation was formal or informal. The natural path after receiving a complaint is to initiate a preliminary check, which is carried out within the police system. An investigating officer will have to register a police report, whether as part of a preliminary investigation or inquiry.

Parliamentarians linked to Campos’ political group criticized the Civil Police. In a post on social media, the deputy leader of the Lula government in the Chamber of Deputies, federal deputy Maria Arraes (Solidarity), classified the authorities’ conduct as “inadmissible” and referred to the episode as a case of espionage. State deputy Sileno Guedes, leader of the PSB in the Legislative Assembly of Pernambuco, made a publication with a similar tone, in which he states that the “Civil Police of Pernambuco has been used to spy on opponents”.