Santa Catarina court clears former police chief of misconduct

A judge in Florianópolis has ruled that Ulisses Gabriel, the former general director of the Civil Police, did not commit administrative misconduct in relation to the “Orelha” case. The lawsuit, filed by the Public Ministry of Santa Catarina (MPSC), accused Gabriel of using the high-profile investigation of a community dog to gain political visibility for a future electoral campaign.

In her decision, Judge Luciana Pelisser Gottardi Trentini stated that accountability for misconduct cannot be based on “conjectures, suspicions, subjective impressions or the mere observation that the administrative result was inadequate.” The court found no evidence that Gabriel used slogans, personalized institutional brands, or promotional materials to promote himself.

The ruling noted that during press conferences and interviews, Gabriel referred to the institutional actions of the Civil Police and identified the specific delegates responsible for the investigation. Furthermore, there was no proof that public funds were used for his travel or that he sought to claim individual ownership of the investigative results. Gabriel, who was subsequently elected as a state deputy, had his defense argue that no irregularities occurred.