Sabatina candidates for the Government of the State of Rio de Janeiro Eduardo Paes (PSD) with interviewers Leandro Resende, Chico Goes, Bernardo Mello Franco, Bianca Santos and Thiago Prado — Photo: Ana Branco / Agência O Globo
The PSD candidate for governor of Rio, Eduardo Paes, was interviewed this Friday (11) by "O Globo", "Extra", "Valor" and CBN. Conducted by CBN Rio presenters Bianca Santos and Leandro Resende; by the Politics editor of the newspapers "O Globo" and "Extra", Thiago Prado; by columnist Bernardo Mello Franco and Francisco Góes, head of the "Valor" branch in Rio, the interview began at 10:30 am and lasted 1h30.
The series opened this Tuesday (8) with state deputy Douglas Ruas (PL). William Siri (PSOL) was interviewed on Wednesday (9), and Anthony Garotinho (Republicans) on Thursday (10). Each interview lasted an hour and a half.
The schedule is as follows:
September 8 (Tuesday) - Douglas Ruas (PL) – read the check
September 9th (Wednesday) - William Siri (Psol) – read the check
September 10 (Thursday) - Anthony Garotinho (Republicans) – read the check
September 11th (Friday) - Eduardo Paes (PSD)
The Fato ou Fake team checked the main statements by Eduardo Paes (PSD). Read:
"The PL government in Rio had four secretaries arrested with links to organized crime. Secretary of Civil Police, Secretary of Penitentiary Administration and two who are still in prison: Secretary of Consumer Protection, Secretary of Sports and who was Secretary of Public Order for Crivella, at city hall. And the guy who wants to be their candidate for governor, Douglas Ruas, is a kind of 'rule two'. The candidate for PL governor, Cláudio Castro, before Douglas Ruas, was Rodrigo Bacellar."
The statement is #FACT. See why:
Allan Turnowski, former state secretary of the Civil Police, was arrested in 2022. The Public Ministry of the State of Rio de Janeiro (MPRJ) denounced him on charges of being part of a criminal organization linked to gambling and acting in favor of criminals. Currently, he is free. Raphael Montenegro, then state secretary of Penitentiary Administration, was arrested in 2021. The investigation highlighted suspicions of negotiating advantages with members of Comando Vermelho.
Alessandro Pitombeira Carracena held the state secretariats for Sports and Leisure and Consumer Protection and had been municipal secretary for Public Order during the Marcelo Crivella administration. He has been imprisoned since September 2025. According to an investigation by the Federal Police (PF), he was part of the political core of an organization linked to Comando Vermelho. Carracena and others accused in the case are now defendants in court.
Rodrigo Bacellar, who was state secretary of Castro's government, was also arrested. In March 2026, the Federal Supreme Court (STF) again ordered his preventive detention on suspicion of leaking information and obstructing investigations related to criminal organizations.
"The state of Rio has the worst Ideb [Basic Education Development Index] in Brazil. The city of São Gonçalo is in the penultimate position."
#NOTGOOD. See why:
Ideb does not assign a single score to the education of each state, so it is not possible to say in general that Rio de Janeiro has "the worst Ideb in Brazil". The National Institute of Educational Studies and Research Anísio Teixeira (Inep) publishes results separated by educational stage — initial years, final years and secondary education — and by network.
In state secondary education, a stage under the responsibility of state governments, Rio de Janeiro recorded grades of 3.7 in 2025. It is the second lowest result among the Federation units, tied with Amazonas, Roraima and Amapá and above only the Federal District (3.6). Therefore, Rio is among the worst results in the country in this regard, but it is not "the worst" in isolation.
The Ideb of the Rio de Janeiro state network in secondary education rose from 3.3, in 2023, to 3.7, in 2025, an improvement driven by the increase in the school performance indicator, linked to approval, which went from 80% to 92%. At the same time, the learning indicator used to calculate the Ideb dropped slightly from 4.095 to 4.036. In Portuguese, the average of the Basic Education Assessment System (Saeb) fell from 258.09 to 254.76 points; in mathematics, from 252.19 to 251.53.
São Gonçalo also does not occupy the penultimate position in Ideb 2025 in the initial years of the municipal network. The city obtained 4.9, the third lowest score among municipalities in Rio de Janeiro, tied with Duque de Caxias. Japeri had the lowest index, 4.3, and Belford Roxo, the second lowest, 4.8.
Although it is not the penultimate, São Gonçalo remains among the municipalities in Rio de Janeiro with the lowest results. The score for the initial years rose from 4.5, in 2023, to 4.9, in 2025. In the final years, the municipality went from 3.9 to 4.2.
"The head of the Civil Police, that guy Amim [Marcus Vinícius Amim Fernandes]... changed the organic law of the Civil Police to appoint a 'coupincha' from Rodrigo Bacellar, who when he was fired ended up in Alerj security."
The statement is #FACT. See why:
Marcus Vinícius Amim Fernandes is a Civil Police delegate and commanded the corporation between October 2023 and September 2024. Previously, he headed the Narcotics Repression Police Station (DRE) and presided over Detran-RJ.
The appointment occurred after the Legislative Assembly of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Alerj) amended the Organic Law of the Civil Police. Until then, the secretary needed to have at least 15 years as a delegate. The change started to consider the length of service at the institution and allowed Amim to take on the position.
Rodrigo Bacellar was president of Alerj at the time and supported Amim's appointment to the Civil Police. After leaving the secretariat, in September 2024, Amim was appointed to coordinate the security of the Assembly.
In July 2026, Amim was the target of the 6th phase of Operation Unha e Carne, by the Federal Police, which investigates alleged connections between public agents and criminal groups and a money laundering scheme involving gas stations. The Civil Police Internal Affairs also opened a disciplinary investigation against him.
"I don't have the support of Antônio Rueda [...] how does my party support him? If Antonio Rueda wants to ask for a vote for me, I will thank him [...] he is from União Brasil [...] but he is not supporting me, nor is my party supporting his candidacy."
#NOTGOOD. See why:
União Progressista (Brazilian party federation, formed by the União Brasil and Progressistas parties) declared neutrality in the dispute for the government of Rio, but Antonio Rueda, national president of União Brasil, has been making moves in favor of Eduardo Paes' group. He participated in agendas with the candidate's allies and was at a campaign event in São João de Meriti.
The neutrality of the federation does not prevent individual demonstrations. Rueda, for example, declared support for the candidate for senator Pedro Paulo (PSD), an ally of Paes, and maintains links with politicians on both sides of the dispute.
Rueda, candidate for federal deputy, was cited by former banker Daniel Vorcaro, in a plea bargain proposal rejected by the Federal Police and the Attorney General's Office (PGR), in the case involving Rioprevidência's investments in Banco Master. According to the report, he would have worked to make the contributions viable. The PF is investigating transfers of almost R$3.7 billion.
"[...] put an end to this deficit of 20 thousand places in the penitentiary system [in Rio de Janeiro]."
The statement is #FACT. See why:
Rio de Janeiro's penitentiary system has a deficit of around 19 thousand places, a number that is close to the 20 thousand mentioned by Eduardo Paes.
According to the Criminal Police Secretariat, the deficit is related to the chronic problem of overcrowding in Rio de Janeiro's prison units. Only 8 of the 47 units do not have a shortage of vacancies.
"[In] Public Security, we are the state [Rio de Janeiro] that spends the most in Brazil."
#NOTGOOD. See why:
The 20th Brazilian Public Security Yearbook, released in July 2026 by the Brazilian Public Security Forum, provides data for 2025. That year, the states and the Federal District spent R$131.2 billion on public security.
Rio de Janeiro invested R$17.37 billion in the area in 2025, around R$1,100 per inhabitant, ranking in fourth place. It was the second highest absolute value, behind only São Paulo, which spent R$18.38 billion. Therefore, it is not correct to say that Rio is the state that spends the most in absolute terms.
However, public security represented 14.9% of Rio's expenses, the highest percentage among Brazilian states. São Paulo, for example, allocated 4.8%.
In the 2025 RREO in Focus (Budget Execution Summary Report), from the National Treasury, Public Security corresponded to 16% of the expenses committed by Rio, the second highest proportion among the states, behind Minas Gerais, with 20%.
"The best Ideb in Brazil was Goiás [...]. We spend twice as much per student as Goiás spends."
#NOTGOOD. See why:
Rio de Janeiro actually spends almost twice as much per student compared to the state of Goiás. The survey by Movimento EducAçãoRio shows R$ 19,580 per student per year in Rio, against R$ 10,704 in Goiás, a difference of 83%.
Goiás, however, does not have “the best Ideb” (Basic Education Development Index) in Brazil. The state was a leader in Secondary Education in 2023, with a score of 4.8. In the most recent Ideb result, released by the National Institute of Educational Studies and Research Anísio Teixeira (Inep) in 2026, Paraná took the lead, with 5.1, while Goiás was at 5.0.
"Deputy Chiquinho Brazão was nominated by the Republican Party, building support for the 2024 candidacy. There was, at that time, nothing to discredit his conduct. Marielle's own case and the involvement of his brother [Domingos] had been discarded at a certain point. The first thing I did when suspicion arose, in fact, I think suspicion arises in a column by Bernardo [Mello Franco], is to exonerate the subject."
The statement is #FACT. See why:
Chiquinho Brazão was nominated by the Republicans to take over the Special Secretariat for Community Action at Rio City Hall. The appointment took place on October 3, 2023, as part of the political articulation between Paes and the party with a view to municipal re-election in 2024.
The choice, however, happened precisely at a time when new suspicions about Chiquinho's brother, Domingos Brazão, had returned to the center of the investigation into the Marielle case. Information about the advancement of suspicions and the sending of the case to the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) was revealed by GLOBO columnist Bernardo Mello Franco.
Former military police officer Ronnie Lessa, accused of having carried out Marielle's death, named Domingos Brazão as one of those who ordered the murder, in his plea agreement.
The accusation was approved by the STF in January, and from then on the suspicions gained great repercussion. The arrest of Chiquinho, Domingos and Rivaldo Barbosa would only happen later, on March 24, 2024.
Chiquinho left the Special Secretariat for Community Action on February 1, 2024, dismissed by the City of Rio de Janeiro, under the management of Eduardo Paes.
"The debt limit of the city of Rio de Janeiro is far below that. It's 40%, 50%. It's going to be a matter of fact or fake, I have to check, because I don't really have the numbers of the city of Rio in my head. So, say #NOTWELL, tomorrow. In other words, the city of Rio has a huge debt capacity to continue investing."
The statement is #FACT. See why:
The relationship between the debt of the municipality of Rio de Janeiro and its net current revenue has varied, in recent years, from 35% to 48%, according to management reports and opinions from the Municipal Audit Court
According to the Rio de Janeiro City Hall Fiscal Management Report, the consolidated net debt in 2024 was R$16.94 billion for a net current revenue of R$34.89 billion. The ratio between the two was 48.55%
In 2025, the city of Rio de Janeiro reached the end of the year with a net debt of R$13.25 billion for a net current revenue of R$36.96 billion. The ratio between the two was 35.84%.
To justify the argument that the municipality of Rio de Janeiro has the debt capacity to invest, Paes uses the difference between the current debt ratio and the municipality's net current revenue and that permitted by the Fiscal Responsibility Law.
The following participated in the check: Anna Júlia Steckelberg, Clara Simão, Lucas Guimarães, Mel Trench and Raphael Salomão.
