June 15, 2022

16:06

Gabriel Abreu – Amazon Agency

BOA VISTA – Former superintendent of the Federal Police of Amazonas (PF-AM), the delegate Alexandre Saraiva gave an interview this Tuesday, 14, to the program “Studio I”, of journalist Andrea Sadi, of Globo News, and made several accusations against the senators of Roraima Telmario Mota (Pros) and Mecias de Jesus (Republicans), saying that they and other parliamentarians are part of the so-called “criminal bench”. The interview dealt with the disappearance of indigenist Bruno Araújo and british journalist Dom Philips in the Vale do Javari region of the Amazon.

“These criminals have most of the politicians of the Northern Region in their pockets. I am talking about governors, senators. Look at the Centrão, look at where a large part of the parliamentarians from the Centrão came from. They are financed by these groups. Zequinha Marinho, Telmário Mota, Mecias de Jesus, Jorginho Melo, from Santa Catarina, sent a letter; Carla Zambelli went there to defend logging companies. We have a ‘crime bench’, in my opinion, of criminals, bandits”, said Saraiva.

Sought by AMAZON AGENCY to comment on the accusations of delegate Alexandre Saraiva, Senator Mecias de Jesus said he would not comment. Telmário Mota’s press office did not respond to our messages.

Delegate was attacked

Saraiva said that during a hearing in the House of Representatives, in the Commission of Participatory Legislation, he was attacked by parliamentarians.

“I who have been in so many criminal hearings with lawyers and criminals sitting in front of me, I have never been so disrespected by the criminals arrested as I was that day there in the Chamber. The lawmakers were making a list in defense of crime”, Saraiva recalled.

Saraiva was superintendent of the Federal Police in Amazonas and was transferred to Rio de Janeiro in 2021, after denouncing the former Minister of the Environment, Ricardo Salles, for protecting illegal loggers. The delegate coordinated ‘Operation Handroanthus’, which made the largest wood seizure in history in the Amazon.

“I have here a collection of letters from senators of several states in the Amazon sent to my boss, saying that I was exceeding the limits of the law, that I was committing abuse of authority. There have been senators together with loggers threatening me… Anyway, this is what is catching”, said the delegate.

Absence of the State

According to the delegate, there are several reports of public servants who suffer threats. According to Alexandre Saraiva, there is a “great risk for these servers and that can not be solved from the point of view of personal safety. “What can solve the problem is not a specific security for a specific public servant, because I think it is unfeasible. What you need is to be strong in the region,” said the former superintendent.

The Case

Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips have been missing since June 5th this year, in Vale do Javari, interior of Amazonas state, after receiving threats in the field, according to the Union of Indigenous People Vale do Javari (Univaja).

According to Univaja, Bruno and Dom were traveling in a new boat, with a 40 HP engine and 70 liters of gasoline, to a location near the Funai Surveillance Base, on the Ituí River, Jaburu Lake, so that the british journalist could conduct interviews with indigenous people for a book with an environmental theme.

Until this Wednesday, 15, two brothers identified as Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, “Pelado” and Oseney da Costa de Oliveira, known as “Dos Santos”, are in jail, suspected of involvement in the disappearance.

Watch the interview excerpt: