LJLava Jato Outcomes

Brazil · Operation Lava Jato in Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba (Calicut, Eficiência, Fratura Exposta, C'est Fini, Ratatouille, Unfair Play and others)

Sérgio Cabral: what happened in the Operation Lava Jato in Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba (Calicut, Eficiência, Fratura Exposta, C'est Fini, Ratatouille, Unfair Play and others) case

Former governor of Rio de Janeiro state. Federal prosecutors alleged that Cabral led a scheme that collected bribes on state contracts during his time as governor, and courts imposed sentences that Correio Braziliense reported as totalling more than 400 years.

Outcome todayAs of November 2025 Cabral was free with no final conviction, while other convictions and cases remained under appeal or pending, according to the cited sources. Correio Braziliense reported in October 2024 that a second-instance conviction made him ineligible under the Ficha Limpa law.

Every court stage

  1. Detained, and held in custody from November 2016 to December 202217th Federal Criminal Court of Rio de Janeiro and 13th Federal Court of Curitiba
  2. STF Second Panel annulled decisions by Judge Marcelo Bretas in the Fratura Exposta case for lack of jurisdiction. At the time his combined sentences were reported as 399 years and 11 months, and the case accounted for 14 years and 7 months.2Supreme Federal Court (STF), Second Panel
  3. Moved to house arrest after the STF found his prolonged preventive detention excessive, and left house arrest about two months later1,4Supreme Federal Court (STF)
  4. Judge Eduardo Appio annulled Sergio Moro's acts against Cabral in the Curitiba case, citing lack of impartiality, including the 14-year sentence and his preventive detention5,113th Federal Court of Curitiba
  5. Federal appeals judge Carlos Eduardo Thompson Flores suspended the effects of Appio's decision until final judgment, restoring Moro's rulings including the sentence5Federal Regional Court of the 4th Region (TRF-4)
  6. Three convictions from the 7th Federal Criminal Court (C'est Fini, Ratatouille and Unfair Play), totalling about 40 years, were annulled. Correio Braziliense said the cases returned almost to the starting point rather than ending in acquittal.3,1Federal Regional Court of the 2nd Region (TRF-2)
  7. Justice Dias Toffoli rejected Cabral's request to extend to him the annulments granted to others over alleged collusion between Moro and prosecutors, in the Curitiba case over Comperj petrochemical complex bribes6Supreme Federal Court (STF)

Response

Cabral told journalist Eduardo Tchao in November 2023 that he planned to run for federal deputy in 2026 "caso eu possa e a Justiça me permita", according to Agência Estado.

Sources

  1. Correio Braziliense, Análise: só falta Sérgio Cabral no velório da Lava Jato (31 October 2024)
  2. Congresso em Foco, Decisão do STF pode reduzir condenação de Sérgio Cabral em 14 anos (8 December 2021)
  3. O Povo / Agência Estado, Condenados na Lava Jato planejam retorno à vida pública após absolvições (Agência Estado) (23 May 2024)
  4. Portal de Prefeitura, Sérgio Cabral: entenda por que ex-governador condenado a mais de 400 anos está solto (26 November 2025)
  5. Migalhas, TRF-4 derruba decisão e restabelece sentenças de Moro contra Cabral (16 May 2023)
  6. Portal de Prefeitura, Lava Jato: Toffoli nega pedido de Sérgio Cabral para anular atos (29 November 2024)