Amazonas Governor dismisses Manaus prison director accused of corruption

Amazonas Governor José Melo indefinitely removed the director of the Anísio Jobim prison complex (COMPAJ) from office, where 56 prisoners were killed on January 1. The governor called for the dismissal after it was disclosed that, weeks before the killings, two inmates had reported to the state court that prison directors were receiving money from gangs to allow the entry of firearms, drugs and cell phones into the unit.

According to the Public Defender's Office in Amazonas, prisoners Alcinei Gomes da Silveira and Gezildo Nunes da Silva delivered two handwritten letters claiming they had received death threats and feared for their lives, because, according to them, prisoners members of gangs bribed the directors to have access to firearms, drugs, and cell phones.

Public Defender Arthur Sant'anna Ferreira Macedo pointed out the severity of the complaint and it was requested the transfer of prisoner Gezildo Nunes da Silva to the Provisional Detention Center to ensure his physical integrity. But the judiciary branch went into recess six days later, on December 20, and, therefore, the request was not analyzed. Alcinei Gomes da Silveira and Gezildo Nunes da Silva were killed between January 1 and 2.

At the request of Agência Brasil, Judge Luís Carlos Valois reported, through the advisory services of the Court of Justice of the State of Amazonas, that he did not receive in hands the Public Defender's request and the documents mentioned, nor had been sought by the prisoners' defense to deal with the matter.

The presidency of the Amazonas Court of Justice has ordered an investigation into the facts by the Disciplinary Board of the Courts, which initiated proceedings on Tuesday (Jan. 10).

The private company Umanizzare is responsible for the outsourced management of COMPAJ. Umanizzare also manages five other prisons in Amazonas and two in Tocantins. In a statement, the company reported that, according to the law, the general command of each prison is taken by public servants appointed by the State Department of Penitentiary Administration (SEAP), Umanizzare pledged to be "collaborating with investigations, expecting all facts to be explained."

Translated by Amarílis Anchieta