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Cezinha de Madureira’s defense denies wrongdoing after Federal Police operation
The PL lawmaker from São Paulo was targeted by a search-and-seizure order along with his wife, lawyer Valéria Rodrigues Linhares. According to O Globo, his lawyers also criticized the timing of the move amid a political and electoral context.
The defense of federal lawmaker Cezinha de Madureira of the PL in São Paulo said on Monday that he committed no wrongdoing and criticized the timing of the Federal Police operation against him, describing it as taking place amid a political and electoral backdrop.
According to O Globo, Cezinha de Madureira and lawyer Valéria Rodrigues Linhares, the congressman’s wife, were targeted by search-and-seizure warrants in an investigation before Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court.
The operation was authorized by Justice Flávio Dino, who lifted the secrecy of the ruling after the measures had been carried out. In that decision, he pointed to signs that the congressman may have used the standing of his legislative office to give third parties the impression that he had influence over decisions by justices on higher courts and to negotiate that alleged access.
In a statement signed by Carneiros Advogados, the defense said, according to O Globo, that the lawmaker fully trusts the courts, remains available to provide any necessary clarification and expects that, once the defense has full access to the investigation file and evidence, due process will show that no irregularity occurred.
The lawyers also challenged the timing of the police action, arguing that measures with such broad repercussions should have been carried out at a distance from any political or electoral circumstance, according to O Globo’s report.
The move is an offshoot of Operation Transparency, launched in December 2025, which investigates suspected influence peddling, exploitation of prestige, passive corruption and money laundering in cases pending before higher courts.
Based on the Federal Police findings cited by O Globo and accepted by the reporting justice, lawyer Mariângela Fialek, a former Chamber staffer known as Tuca, was responsible for bringing in cases and drafting legal filings and technical briefs; Valéria Rodrigues Linhares handled success-fee contracts and credit assignments; and Cezinha de Madureira allegedly managed direct contacts and meetings with justices by relying on his parliamentary access.
O Globo also reported that messages obtained by the Federal Police showed negotiations involving high-value lawsuits, including cases linked to the defense of the mayor of Beberibe, in Ceará, and of a former secretary from Belford Roxo, in Rio de Janeiro, with expected payments ranging from 500,000 reais to 2 million reais. The case file also includes the seizure of 510,000 reais in cash from Valéria Linhares at Congonhas Airport in São Paulo in August 2026.
In his ruling, Flávio Dino stressed that justices of the Supreme Federal Court, the Superior Court of Justice and the Superior Electoral Court are not under investigation and committed no wrongdoing. As reported by O Globo, the probe is focused on the sale of influence by those who offered and priced it, while the judicial authorities are treated as victims of that scheme.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
