The preventive detention of Gusttavo Lima, ordered by the Pernambuco Court of Justice on Monday (September 23), was revoked this Tuesday (September 24) by Judge Eduardo Guilliod Maranhão of the State Court of Justice. The sertanejo singer was being investigated in Operation Integration, which investigates a money laundering and illegal gambling scheme. In addition to revoking the arrest, the orders for the seizure of his passport, firearm registration, and suspension of his firearm license were also annulled.
The operation, conducted by the Civil Police of Pernambuco, is investigating public figures involved in suspicious financial movements, including Lima, who allegedly acquired a 25% stake in the gaming company “Vai de Bet,” identified as an illegal betting operator. Among the accusations was the concealment of R$ 9.7 million, which would have been received through illegal deposits. The singer was also accused of harboring two fugitives, José André da Rocha Neto and Aislla Sabrina Henriques Truta Rocha, partners of “Vai de Bet.”
Judge Andréa Calado da Cruz, who ordered the singer’s arrest on Monday, argued that the artist was favoring the escape of fugitives and had financial ties that compromised his integrity in the investigation. On a recent trip to Greece, Lima was accused of transporting José André and Aislla in his private aircraft, fueling suspicions of involvement in illegal activities. The magistrate pointed out that, upon returning from the trip, the two suspects could have disembarked in Greece or the Canary Islands, raising doubts about the singer’s role in facilitating their escape.
However, Gusttavo Lima’s defense, composed of lawyers Delmiro Dantas Campos Neto, Matteus Macedo, and Cláudio Bessas, filed a habeas corpus request on Monday night (September 22), contesting the accusations and arguing that Lima’s relationship with the investigated companies was strictly commercial and legal. They stated that the contracts signed by the singer, including the sale of an aircraft to the company “Vai de Bet,” followed all legal norms, with bank transactions registered and reported to the competent authorities, such as the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC).
Judge Eduardo Guilliod Maranhão, in revoking the arrest, classified the judge’s justifications as “mere improper inferences and generic considerations,” indicating that there was insufficient evidence that Gusttavo Lima was directly involved in favoring the escape of the suspects. Maranhão also highlighted that when the singer traveled with José André and Aislla to Greece in early September, they were not yet considered fugitives, as their preventive arrests were only decreed days later, on September 3, 2024.
In addition to revoking Gusttavo Lima’s arrest, Judge Maranhão also granted freedom to influencer and lawyer Deolane Bezerra, who was arrested in the same operation. Deolane is another public figure involved in the investigation, accused of participating in the money laundering scheme and having connections with illegal gambling activities.
The singer, who was in the United States on Monday (23) when his arrest was ordered, was included in the Federal Police system, which notified his departure from the country towards Miami. According to journalist Elijonas Maia from CNN, Lima traveled shortly before his arrest was requested.
Even with the revocation of his arrest, Gusttavo Lima continues to be investigated, and his name remains involved in various suspicions within the scope of Operation Integration. Among the most recent revelations of the investigation is the fact that companies linked to the singer would have received around R$ 49.4 million from “Esportes da Sorte” and “Vai de Bet” since 2023, which motivated Lima’s inclusion in the list of suspects. Authorities are investigating whether these amounts are related to money laundering practices.
Despite the suspicions, criminal lawyer Eugênio Malavasi stated that the preventive detention ordered against the singer was “illegal” and “arbitrary,” claiming that it contradicted the constitutional principle of the presumption of innocence. According to Malavasi, the judge’s original decision did not have sufficient grounds to justify such an extreme measure as preventive detention, and that, for now, Lima is only an investigated person, without formal charges.
Lawyer Bruno Dallari Oliveira Lima, a specialist in criminal law, also commented on the case, explaining that for a new arrest warrant against Gusttavo Lima to be issued, new incriminating facts would need to emerge, which has not happened so far.
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