Four of Flávio's allies in Rio: one impeached, one barred from running, two arrested

On 24 February, Flávio announced: “our Senate candidates in Rio will be Cláudio Castro and Márcio Canella”^[4]. Canella, Rio's most-voted state deputy in 2022^[14], got more than the name: Flávio's mother, Rogéria Bolsonaro, was chosen as his first alternate^[15].

In March, the TSE barred Castro from running until 2030 for abuse of political and economic power in his 2022 re-election^[6]. In July, Canella was arrested in the act for illegal possession of a firearm, with a rifle in his car; his defence says the gun was legal^[23][8]. In August, he dropped his Senate bid^[23].

The Federal Police placed Canella in pretrial detention on 15 October^[8][15]. According to the Federal Police, he is the “political patron” of a group that, by a Coaf estimate, moved R$ 7.6 billion through petrol stations, “although not identified as a direct operator of the group's financial transactions”^[28].

The Federal Police cite recordings in which a military police captain, later expelled, negotiates with CV leaders, as “intermediary for the interests of the municipal administration” of Canella, the “deliberate pull-back of the State's operational raids”^[28]. His defence says “everything will be cleared up”^[28]. Flávio is not under investigation in this case.

Two former Civil Police chiefs of Castro's government were arrested: Allan Turnowski, in 2022, suspected by the MPRJ of taking bribes from the jogo do bicho, an illegal lottery^[12], and Marcus Amim, in October 2026, in the operation that arrested Canella^[10][8]. Turnowski denies it and is free pending trial^[13].

Bacellar, whom Flávio signalled support for as governor^[3], is a defendant at the STF for obstruction: according to the prosecution, he passed Operation Zargun information to TH Joias^[16][17]. At the TRF-2, TH Joias and Pitombeira, a former Castro secretary, are defendants in an alleged CV-linked scheme^[11].

On 24 March, the TSE barred Castro from running and revoked the mandate of Bacellar, speaker of the Alerj^[29]. Three days later, Bacellar was arrested again^[7]; in September, he was in the federal prison in Mossoró^[30]. The vice-governor, Thiago Pampolha, was appointed to the TCE-RJ audit court in 2025, in a manoeuvre Flávio was “aligned” with^[3].

The state is now governed by the president of the Court of Justice, Ricardo Couto. According to the government, 30 audits of contracts worth at least R$ 2.6 billion from Castro's administration were sent to prosecutors^[31].

Elected governor in October with Flávio's support^[32], Douglas Ruas (PL) is under investigation by the MPRJ on suspicion of bidding crimes, embezzlement, money laundering and criminal organization^[18]. Ruas denies it and says he believes the case will be shelved^[33].

Before being Castro's secretary for Cities^[18], Ruas was a secretary in the city government of his father, Capitão Nelson (PL)^[27]. In 2008, the Alerj's militia inquiry (CPI das Milícias) named Nelson as one of the leaders of a militia in São Gonçalo, based on anonymous tips to the Disque Milícia hotline^[20]. He was not indicted and denies it^[21].

In 2020, Flávio apologized “to you who voted for governor Wilson believing in me, in Bolsonaro”^[34]. On Bacellar, he said in 2025: “There was haste in choosing Bacellar”^[26]. And, in 2026: “If I had known that, I would never [have supported him]”^[35]. On Canella, allies say he distanced himself after the July operation^[24].

Getting it wrong once happens. In Rio, it was four times. The man who chose these allies wants to choose the country's ministers.

On leaving the government in April 2020, Sergio Moro pointed to “a clear political interference in the Federal Police”, with superintendents being replaced “starting with Rio de Janeiro”^[36]. Two days earlier, at a cabinet meeting, Jair Bolsonaro had said: “I'm not going to wait for them to fuck over my whole family, out of spite, or my friends”^[37].

At the same meeting: “That's why I'm going to interfere! And that's final!”^[37]. The Federal Police concluded, in 2022 and again in 2026, that there was no interference in the force^[38].

In August 2020, at a meeting with Jair Bolsonaro, General Augusto Heleno and one of Flávio's lawyers, Alexandre Ramagem suggested, according to the Federal Police, “opening administrative proceedings against the Receita auditors” to annul an investigation into Flávio^[39]. Flávio says he “never had any relationship with Abin”^[39].

In the city of Rio, 42.4% of the population lives under the control or influence of armed groups. In the metropolitan region it is 34.9%, about 4 million people^[40]. There, militias hold 49.4% of the area under armed control, and the Comando Vermelho controls 47.5% of the controlled territory^[40].

On the 25th, the vote for president also decides who comes with him.