Brazil's Supreme Court (STF) has ruled that Thiago Rangel must be removed from office immediately following an operation that led to his arrest.

The decision by the Supreme Federal Court (STF) that ordered the preventive detention of state deputy Thiago Rangel (Avante) also included immediate removal of the parliamentarian from his duties in the Legislative Assembly of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Alerj). The measure, signed by the minister Alexandre de Moraes, also applies to two other suspects arrested in the operation this Tuesday (5) and remains in effect until the conclusion of the criminal investigations.

Also removed from their public positions were Júcia Gomes de Souza Figueiredo, regional director of Education for the Northwest region, and Fábio Pourbaix Azevedo, advisor and chief of staff to Rangel at Alerj.

The action is part of the fourth phase of Operation Nail and Flesh, which investigates the activities of a criminal organization suspected of fraud in public procurement processes and contracting of services, including renovation works in the state education system. In addition to the three arrested, six other individuals under investigation are targets of warrants issued as part of the operation.

Spreadsheet and political guidelines

According to the decision, the investigations progressed based on data extracted from a computer seized at the Rio de Janeiro State Legislative Assembly (Alerj), linked to the office of the then-president of the Assembly, Rodrigo Bacellar. Among the files, a spreadsheet was found with the names of state deputies and nominations for positions in strategic government agencies, accompanied by notes such as "what they have" and "what they are requesting."

In Rangel's case, according to the investigation, there is a record of his appointment to the Regional Superintendency of IPEM in Campos dos Goytacazes — an appointment that would have been made official a few days after the date of the seized document.

Suspected fraud in construction projects.

Based on cross-referencing data, the investigation gathered evidence pointing to a scheme to rig contracts within the state Department of Education. According to the Federal Police, the group acted to favor pre-selected companies in bidding processes for renovation work in public schools, especially in Northern Rio de Janeiro state, a region of political influence for those under investigation.

According to investigators, after the hiring, part of the public funds would be transferred to the people involved in the scheme, suggesting a possible misappropriation of funds. The investigations are ongoing and should form the basis for new legal measures in the next developments of the operation.