CNJ investigates possible involvement of civil servants in the release of a militia member in Rio
There are suspicions that servers facilitated the escape of Peterson Luiz de Almeida, even with a preventive arrest warrant issued against him. An audit will be conducted to investigate the circumstances under which Peterson's arrest warrant was recorded in the national system.
Militiaman Peterson Luiz de Almeida was released last Sunday (29), even though there was a preventive arrest warrant against him – Reproduction Photo/Internet
The National Council of Justice (CNJ) initiated an audit to investigate how Peterson Luiz de Almeida, known as Pet and appointed as a militia member, was released last Sunday (29) despite there being an arrest warrant against him. According to the Rio de Janeiro Penitentiary Administration Secretariat (SEAP), Peterson was released after the Civil Police reported that there was no open arrest warrant against him.
The Court of Justice of Rio de Janeiro (TJRJ) claimed to have followed the correct procedures and to have inserted the preventive arrest document into the National Bank of Arrest Warrants (BNMP). However, even on Monday (30), one day after his release, the arrest order was still not in the system.
Suspicions
CNJ members are suspicious about possible mistakes made by TJRJ employees in this incident. The investigation aims to clarify whether the error was intentional and whether there are accusations of corruption involved. It will be examined who actually registers the document in the system and on what date and time this occurs. The argument presented by Seap states that the notice about the change in the prison status was sent by the judicial system to an email address that, according to the agency, has been inactive for five years.
The audits will not be limited to the case of Peterson de Almeida, since similar errors occurred frequently at the TJRJ, making it necessary to analyze other decisions. CNJ advisors assured, in private conversations, that the BNMP is safe and has no vulnerabilities, and there are no suspicions of hacker intrusions into the system. Furthermore, they claim that a note released by the TJRJ was poorly received by the council, as the court completely exempted itself from responsibilities in the statement.
Civil inquiry
On Tuesday night (31), the Public Ministry of Rio de Janeiro (MPRJ) issued a statement in which it declared that it had initiated a civil inquiry with the aim of investigating the situations that resulted in the disclosure of Peterson Almeida. The note emphasizes that the preliminary investigations carried out by the MPRJ pointed to flaws in the functioning of the National Bank of Arrest Warrants (BNMP), under the jurisdiction of the National Council of Justice (CNJ), with regard to the registration of arrest warrants. Furthermore, the note limits restrictions on access to this bank by public security authorities in the State of Rio de Janeiro.
The MPRJ also highlighted the absence of an institutional protocol that establishes an adequate flow of communication between judicial bodies and the Secretariat of Penitentiary Administration (Seap). The lack of proven communication protocols in the adoption of informal practices that, according to the investigation, led to inconsistencies, legal uncertainties and, in some cases, the opening for illegal activities to occur. This may result in improper releases or unjustified detentions of individuals deprived of their liberty.
