Infiltrated in PSOL, he monitored Marielle Franco's steps, Lessa reveals in a statement to the PF

According to Ronnie Lessa, Laerte Silva de Lima and his wife were included in the PSOL with the mission of monitoring Marielle Franco, and they were identified as active members of the Rio das Pedras militia, in the West Zone. Both are currently detained.

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Laerte Silva de Lima, who allegedly infiltrated Psol at the behest of the Brazão brothers - Photo Reproduction/TvGlobo

As the case that shocked Brazil unfolded, new revelations emerged during a statement to the Federal Police. Former military police officer Ronnie Lessa, accused of being one of the perpetrators of the murder of councilor Marielle Franco and driver Anderson Gomes, stated that a man infiltrated in the Socialism and Freedom Party (PSOL) monitored the activist's steps. In his statement, Ronnie Lessa revealed that the militiaman Laerte Silva de Lima, who joined the PSOL in 2016 with the purpose of monitoring Marielle Franco's movements, at the request of Domingos and Chiquinho Brazão, may have exaggerated the reports and influenced the brothers to interpret the parliamentarian's political activities in a distorted way.

In this context, the hypothesis was raised that he may have exaggerated or even invented information to justify his role as an infiltrator, as described in the Federal Police report. The report suggests that this attitude would have provoked animosity, explaining, for example, Chiquinho's unusual reaction to an advisor to Marielle after the councilor opposed his bill in the Rio Chamber. Project number 174, presented in May 2017, aimed to make land regularization rules more flexible in the West Zone.

This project targeted areas of interest to the Brazão family. On that occasion, all Psol members were against the project, along with two councilors from other parties. According to reports from Marielle's advisor to the police, after the vote, Chiquinho showed unusual irritation, never seen before, and allegedly demanded support that he had already provided to Marielle in previous projects. The law, despite being approved, was later vetoed by the then mayor Marcelo Crivella and later considered unconstitutional by the Court of Justice.

Marielle Franco

Marielle Franco, defender of human rights and symbol of the fight against police violence, especially in Rio's favelas, and social injustice, was brutally murdered on March 14, 2018, in Rio de Janeiro. Marielle Franco was born and raised in the heart of the Complexo da Maré favela, located in the Rio suburbs. His academic journey began in 2002, when he entered the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), where he graduated in Social Sciences with a full scholarship granted by the University for All Program (Prouni). After completing his degree, he continued his studies obtaining a master's degree in Public Administration from the Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF).

In the Rio state political scenario of 2006, Marielle was part of the campaign team that took Marcelo Freixo to the Legislative Assembly of the State of Rio de Janeiro (ALERJ). With Freixo's inauguration, she was appointed his parliamentary advisor, carrying out this role with dedication for a decade. His work gained prominence when he assumed coordination of the Commission for the Defense of Human Rights and Citizenship from ALERJ, where he offered legal and psychological support to the families of homicide victims and victimized police officers.

In 2016, Marielle embarked on her first electoral venture, winning a seat in the Rio de Janeiro City Council through the "Change is possible" coalition, made up of the PSOL and the Brazilian Communist Party (PCB). With significant support of more than 46 thousand votes, she became the fifth most voted candidate in the city and the second most voted woman for the position of councilor in the entire country, behind only Rosa Fernandes.

Infiltrators

According to the testimony to the PF, approved by the Federal Supreme Court (STF), Lessa stated that the Brazão brothers infiltrated Laerte and his wife, Erileide Barbosa da Rocha, into the PSOL to provide information about the councilor’s routine and movements. This information would have been essential for the planning and execution of the crime. Also according to Lessa, Laerte had a direct link with federal deputy Chiquinho Brazão (no party) and the advisor to the Court of Auditors Domingos Brazão (MDB). Lessa, however, did not explain what Laerte and Erileide would gain from monitoring the counselor.

Their membership registration took place on the same day that Lessa began searching the internet for the name Marcelo Freixo, at the time, one of the most active figures in PSOL. In 2019, Lessa admitted in a statement to the Public Ministry of Rio (MPRJ) that she had searched the internet for information about the then federal deputy. Lessa said, in his defense, that he is usually an avid reader of reports and pays attention to the information. "I don't just read, I browse", he argued. According to the retired military officer, when he read a news story about Freixo, then a candidate, he decided to search the internet about him and his daughter, but just out of curiosity.

Militia

In 2019, Laerte, a militia member from Rio das Pedras, was detained as part of Operation Intocáveis, an offshoot of the investigations into the Marielle case. In 2020, he was released on parole, however, at the end of 2023, he was arrested again in an action by the Public Ministry against the local militia. According to the investigations, Laerte played a crucial role in collecting and passing on taxes from merchants and residents of the area, in addition to being involved in loan sharking., an essential activity for the criminal organization’s business.

According to the Public Ministry's complaint, an address registered in Laerte's name, located at Estrada de Jacarepaguá, number 3145, was designated as an "office" for the organization in question. The Federal Police's final report on Marielle's death reveals that Laerte became a member of the PSOL approximately twenty days after the second round of the 2016 elections.

Erileide Barbosa da Rocha, Laerte's wife and detained for her connection to the gang, was also infiltrated into the party with the purpose of obtaining information about the councilor. According to the PF, she joined PSOL a year before the tragic event that killed Marielle. In her role in the militia, she assisted Laerte in managing the paramilitary group's business, performing functions in the accounting area.

According to an excerpt from the PF report, Lessa reported that, on March 14, received a call from Edimilson da Silva, known as Macalé, who allegedly helped plan the crime. Macalé, according to Lessa, mentioned having called Laerte's cell phone to confirm that Marielle was in the center of Rio, at Casa das Pretas. However, the person who answered the phone was Ronald Paulo Alves Pereira, known as Major Ronald, one of the targets of the Public Ministry in Operation Untouchables, who was detained during the operation.

Major Ronald was considered one of the main leaders of the criminal organization. Lessa stated that Ronald and Laerte provided a lot of information about the activities planned by Marielle that day. During the Federal Police's Operation Nevoeiro investigations, investigators discovered that Ronald was at the same address as Marielle, at Rua da Assembleia number 10, in the Center, on March 6. Evidence collected by the Federal Police indicates that one of the coordinates recorded by Ronald's phone antenna on the day coincides with the place where Marielle and her driver were shot and fatally injured, on Rua Joaquim Palhares, in the Center.