March 22, 2023
13:03
Ívina Garcia – From Amazon Agency
MANAUS – Ruben Dario da Silva Villar, the “Colombia”, is appointed as one of the principals of the murder of Funai collaborator Maxciel Pereira dos Santos, in 2019, by the Federal Police (PF). The crime occurred on Avenida da Amizade, in Tabatinga, distant 1,136 kilometers from Manaus, when Maxciel was shot in the back of the head, while riding a motorcycle with his wife and stepdaughter.
Villar has been in prison since December 2022, after being named as the person who ordered the murder of indigenous activist Bruno da Cunha Araújo Pereira and journalist Dominic Mark Phillips, in Vale do Javari. The Federal Police reopened investigations into Maxciel’s murder in September 2022, three months after the deaths of Bruno and Dom.
Almost four years after the crime, no one has been arrested and the Federal Police has requested information from Peruvian and Colombian authorities to identify the killers, who could have crossed the triple border with neighboring countries. The Federal Police is also working with the hypothesis of the participation of illegal fishermen who operate in the criminal organization commanded by Colombia in the region of Vale do Javari, where there is a dense conflict between extractors, Funai officials, and indigenous people.
Besides Colombia, three others suspected of participating in the deaths of Dom and Bruno are in prison: Amarildo da Costa Oliveira (Pelado), Oseney de Oliveira (Do Santos) and Jefferson da Silva Lima (Pelado da Dinha). According to Colombia’s lawyer Eduardo de Souza, he has no involvement in any of the three deaths. To O GLOBO, Eduardo said that Colombia “has no relation with these facts and there is no material evidence that proves these crimes.
The Federal Police had access to a list of people scheduled to die which contained the names of Maxciel, Bruno and other employees of FUNAI and the Union of Indigenous Peoples of Vale do Javari (Univaja) who were rigorously working against illegal fishing in Vale do Javari.
According to the Federal Police, a denunciation filed by Oseney da Costa Oliveira against Maxciel in the Civil Police of Atalaia do Norte would have collaborated to link those involved in the murders. The accusation was registered three months before the death of the ex-servant, who, according to Oseney, had caused “embarrassment” and acted with “ignorance” when repressing illegal activities in the rivers Ituí, Itaquaí and Quixito. Maxciel had already received death threats months before his murder.]
“Mr. Oseney’s statements are intended to intimidate the presence of the inspection agent in order to tarnish his image and that of the Military Police,” said one of the four military police officers who participated in the infractions against fishermen and testified in favor of Maxciel.
Trial
The first hearings of instruction and trial in the Federal Court of what became known as “Case Dom and Bruno” began in Tabatinga on Monday, 20, and should be completed on Wednesday, 22. During the three days, 15 witnesses will be heard, and three defendants will testify by videoconference. The hearings will define if the suspects will be sent to a jury.
In the process, the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) denounced Amarildo da Costa Oliveira, known as “Pelado”; Oseney da Costa de Oliveira, known as “Dos Dantos”; and Jefferson da Silva Lima, known as “Pelado da Dinha”, for the murder of the victims.
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