PGR denounces Silvio Almeida for sexual harassment against Anielle Franco
The Attorney General’s Office denounced the former Minister of Human Rights of the Lula government, Silvio Almeida, for sexual harassment against the Minister of Racial Equality, Anielle Franco. The process is under secrecy at the Federal Supreme Court and its rapporteur is Minister André Mendonça.
The former minister’s defense, led by criminalist Thiago Turbay, states that he did not have access to the complaint and emphatically denies that Silvio committed illegal acts.
In November, Silvio Almeida was indicted by the Federal Police based on suspicion of sexual harassment against Anielle Franco and teacher Isabel Rodrigues. The PGR’s complaint, however, signed by Attorney General Paulo Gonet, only deals with the case involving the minister.
- Also read: PF indicts former minister Silvio Almeida for sexual harassment
- Also read: Silvio Almeida says that Anielle “lost her character” in allegations of harassment
Anielle stated that there were “inconvenient attitudes” on the part of Silvio Almeida, such as inappropriate touches and impertinent invitations, but that she did not report the episodes for “fear of discredit and judgment”.
The case involving Isabel Rodrigues was sent to the first instance to follow the Supreme Court’s jurisprudence, since, at the time of the events related to the teacher, Almeida did not hold the position of minister.
In September, the teacher published a video accusing the former minister of having touched her without consent during a lunch in the presence of other people, in 2019, before he became a minister in the Lula government.
Silvio was fired from the government in September last year, following allegations of sexual harassment brought to the Me Too organization. At the beginning of 2026, during the investigations, Silvio Almeida testified for more than two hours to the Federal Police.
In the official statement of his dismissal, the government reported at the time that the president considered the minister’s maintenance in the position “unsustainable” given the nature of the accusations. The case is also investigated by the Presidency’s Public Ethics Commission, under secrecy, at the administrative level as it involves a public agent.
