Federal Appeals Court Determines Release of Lava-Jato Suspect Márcio Lobão

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – By a decision of the 13th Federal District Court of Curitiba, Márcio Lobão was arrested on charges of having received bribes during the construction of the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Plant.

The Federal 4th Region Appellate Court (TRF-4), however, has ordered the release of Márcio Lobão, son of former senator and former minister Edison Lobão. He had been arrested this week during the 65th phase of Operation Lava Jato. The court decision was signed by Judge João Pedro Gebran Neto.

According to the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF), Márcio and Edison Lobão received R$50 million in bribes from the Estre and Odebrecht groups between 2008 and 2014 while their father was Minister of Mines and Energy.

In the petition for habeas corpus, Márcio Lobão’s defense counsel alleges the arrest was not contemporaneous to the alleged offense of accepting bribes, a legal requirement for preventive detention, as well as the nullity of the investigations due to non-compliance with jurisdictional questions.

Source: Agência Brasil