The Rio de Janeiro Legislative Assembly (Alerj) voted to release its president, deputy Rodrigo Bacellar (União), arrested on Wednesday (3) for suspected leaking of a police operation. Of the 65 deputies who voted, 42 were in favor, exceeding the minimum of 36 required. The decision will be communicated to STF Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who may impose alternative measures to imprisonment.
Rodrigo Bacellar was arrested by the Federal Police on December 3, 2025, by order of STF Justice Alexandre de Moraes, suspected of involvement in leaking an operation that led to the arrest of former deputy TH Joias in September. TH Joias, expelled from MDB after detention, is accused of intermediating the purchase and sale of drugs, weapons, and equipment for Comando Vermelho.
On the eve of TH's arrest, he communicated with Bacellar via a new cell phone and, the next morning, sent real-time photos of the warrant execution at the residence to the Alerj president. Bacellar's defense denies any involvement in the leak.
On Monday (8), Alerj held a secret vote: 42 deputies in favor of release, 21 for maintaining imprisonment, two abstentions, and four absences. The Federal Constitution, Article 53, allows state legislative assemblies to revoke lawmakers' arrests, per a 2019 STF ruling extending immunities to state deputies.
Notification to the STF is expected by Tuesday, with no set release date. Moraes may order precautionary measures, such as an electronic ankle monitor, passport retention, or contact prohibitions.
There is no consensus on Bacellar resuming the presidency, elected unanimously at the year's start. Allied lawmakers, like Alexandre Knoploch (PL), defended the decision, stating it 'makes no sense' to link Bacellar to the faction and isolating TH Joias's case. 'Blaming Rodrigo Bacellar and the right is a joke,' Knoploch said.
Opponents, like Flávio Serafini (PSOL), who voted against release, criticized the vote as 'corporate.' 'Everything involving TH Joias was very evident, and the president was in contact with him all day, and he obstructed justice, destroyed evidence,' Serafini stated.
The case involves Governor Cláudio Castro (PL), mentioned in Moraes's ruling for exonerating Rafael Picciani to avoid a vote on TH's arrest. Castro claims the exoneration was planned beforehand.
