Supreme Federal Court upholds house arrest of Raimundo Cutrim

The Brazilian Supreme Federal Court (STF) unanimously upheld the house arrest of former Maranhão secretary Raimundo Cutrim. In a 9-0 virtual vote, the justices followed the decision of rapporteur Alexandre de Moraes.

Cutrim’s defense had filed a habeas corpus to contest the precautionary measure, which was originally determined in July. Moraes noted that the defense failed to present arguments sufficient to overturn the existing foundations of the detention.

The case stems from investigations into Cutrim’s alleged role as a source for journalistic reports regarding the suspected irregular use of official vehicles by relatives of Flávio Dino. The investigation involved the seizure of a journalist's notebook and subsequent data access by the Federal Police.