William Marcel Murad assumes command of the Federal Police after STF decision
Executive director assumes role as acting general director after the departure of Andrei Rodrigues and Leandro Almada by decision of André Mendonça
Quick Look
William Marcel Murad takes over as general director of the Federal Police after the removal of Andrei Rodrigues and Leandro Almada, determined by Minister André Mendonça of the STF due to allegations of illegal monitoring of authorities.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The STF removed PF heads after the discovery of secret reports that illegally monitored authorities such as Minister André Mendonça and AGU Jorge Messias.
With the formal delivery of the court subpoenas, the corporation's executive director, William Marcel Murad, immediately assumes the position of acting director general of the Federal Police, completing the transition plan that had been designed by the leadership to avoid any power vacuum in command of federal public security.
The notification orders comply with the urgent injunction issued in the early hours of the day by Minister André Mendonça, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF).
Andrei Rodrigues and Leandro Almada were already awaiting the arrival of court officials to formalize their departure from their positions.
As revealed in a reserved manner by corporate sources earlier, the transmission of command to William Murad was strictly conditioned on the official legal knowledge of the court decision — which occurred recently.
Now under Murad's provisional management, the Federal Police's immediate task is to comply with the determinations imposed by the decision of the STF rapporteur, which include:
The immediate establishment, through the PF Internal Affairs Department, of criminal investigations and administrative-disciplinary procedures to investigate the circumstances surrounding the preparation of intelligence reports under suspicion;
The total suspension of any activity of production, preparation or sharing (even if internal) of intelligence reports that aim to analyze functional acts of magistrates, members of the public legal profession or members of the judicial police.
Mendonça's decision to temporarily remove the two police chiefs came after the revelation of six secret intelligence reports produced by the PF in August. The documents pointed out that both the STF's reporting minister and the Union's attorney general, Jorge Messias, were subjected to "systematic monitoring" and "directed collection" of information for more than 30 days by the corporation's intelligence.
Mendonça classified the reports as "apocryphal", without legal validity and characteristic of a practice of "institutional arapongagem" with a clear misuse of purpose.
Blocked by the Attorney General's Office (AGU), the federal government sued the STF this Tuesday, arguing that the monocratic decision to remove the director general violates the exclusive competence of the Presidency of the Republic to choose and freely appoint the PF command.
The referendum on Mendonça's decision in the virtual Second Panel of the STF reached a majority of 3 votes to 0 in favor of maintaining the removals (with votes from Mendonça, Luiz Fux and Nunes Marques), but the extraordinary electronic session was suspended due to a request for a review from Minister Gilmar Mendes.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Establishment of investigations by the PF Internal Affairs Department
Very likely · Within days
Open Questions
- What will be the outcome of Gilmar Mendes' request for a view?
- What will the PF's internal structure be like under Murad's management?
