Sergio Cabral, political icon of corruption in Brazil will be released

Sergio Cabralthe former governor of Rio de Janeiro accused of receiving astronomical bribes for the construction of works World-2014 and the Olympic Games-2016will soon be released from prison after six years in prison, thanks to a ruling by the highest court of Brazil.

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Late on Friday, by three votes to two, the magistrates of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) decided that Cabral, 59, may be placed under house arrest pending the appeal ruling.

Cabral’s lawyers estimate that he will probably leave prison Monday.

considered in Brazil as a political icon of the corruptionthe ex-governor was sentenced in 23 cases to more than 425 years of prisonbut has yet to be tried on appeal in higher instances.

Prosecutors accuse him of having bought quantities of jewelry and other luxury items with the embezzled money, which he also reportedly used to pay for a horse-riding lesson for his son.

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Supreme Court judge Gilmar Mendes, whose vote was decisive on Friday, said the defendant could not remain “indefinitely” under a preventive measure, taken to avoid the possible destruction of evidence if he awaited trial in freedom.

But the magistrate clarified that this decision does not mean “in any case the acquittal” of Cabral.

A trained journalist and son of a renowned writer, Cabral was governor of Rio from 2007 to 2014, years in which Brazil was awarded the organization of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games.

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According to prosecutors, each public works tender followed the “5% rule”, paid in the form of bribes, even during the redevelopment of the mythical Maracanã stadium for the soccer World Cup.

The revelations of the corruption large-scale cases involving Cabral have deeply shocked public opinion. The diversion of funds directly affected the public finances of the state of Rio, which was on the verge of bankruptcy after the Olympic Games.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.