Who Is Cláudio Castro? Brazil’s Federal Police Intensify Investigation Into Former Rio Governor
Cláudio Castro Back In Police Crosshairs Over Alleged Refinery Licensing Scheme
Brazilian Police Raid Sites Linked To Former Rio Governor In Explosive Refinery Probe
Brazilian federal police have carried out searches targeting sites linked to former Rio de Janeiro governor Cláudio Castro as investigators intensify a sweeping inquiry into alleged misconduct surrounding one of the country’s most controversial fuel businesses.
The searches form the second phase of Operation Sem Refino, an investigation examining alleged fraudulent management, money laundering, tax evasion, capital flight, market manipulation and offences against Brazil’s economic order. Castro has not been convicted or formally charged with those offences, and the authorities have not publicly attributed every allegation under investigation directly to him.
What Police Are Investigating
Federal police said 16 search-and-seizure warrants were being executed across Rio de Janeiro under orders issued by Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court. The immediate focus is the alleged irregular granting of environmental licences to the Refit refinery, formerly known as the Manguinhos refinery.
Investigators suspect licences may have been issued contrary to technical guidance from the relevant state bodies. Police are also examining possible money laundering associated with the alleged scheme and whether public officials helped private interests overcome regulatory, environmental or financial barriers.
The wider list of suspected crimes includes fraudulent or reckless management, tax evasion, moving capital abroad, market manipulation and offences connected to the sale of fuel. However, that list describes the investigation as a whole; it should not be interpreted as confirmation that Castro personally committed, or has been charged with, each suspected offence.
The operation was launched within a broader Supreme Court-directed effort to investigate organised criminal activity in Rio de Janeiro and possible connections between criminal groups and public officials. That connection gives the case significance beyond an ordinary tax or environmental licensing dispute.
Who Is Cláudio Castro?
Cláudio Bomfim de Castro e Silva is a 47-year-old lawyer and conservative politician affiliated with Brazil’s Liberal Party. Born in Santos in São Paulo state, he built his political career in Rio de Janeiro and was known before entering frontline politics for his Catholic faith and work as a singer and composer of religious music.
Castro began working in politics in 2004 as chief of staff to politician Márcio Pacheco. He remained largely behind the scenes before winning election to Rio’s municipal council in 2016 with 10,262 votes.
His rise accelerated dramatically two years later when he became Wilson Witzel’s running mate in the 2018 Rio gubernatorial election. The pair won, making Castro the youngest vice-governor in the state’s history at the time.
Castro became acting governor in August 2020 after Witzel was suspended and then succeeded him permanently in May 2021 after Witzel’s impeachment. It was an extraordinary political ascent: within approximately five years, Castro had moved from first-term city councillor to governing one of Brazil’s largest and most politically important states.
He subsequently secured his own mandate in 2022, winning the governorship in the first round with more than 58% of valid votes. His victory appeared to transform an accidental successor into a powerful figure on Brazil’s political right.
The First Refit Operation
Castro was previously targeted during the first phase of Operation Sem Refino in May 2026. His phone and tablet were reportedly seized during those searches, although his lawyers said at the time that nothing of relevance had been recovered.
That opening phase placed intense pressure on the Refit group and its owner, businessman Ricardo Magro. The Supreme Court ordered Magro’s pretrial detention and his inclusion on Interpol’s red-notice list after he remained outside Brazil.
The court also ordered approximately R$52 billion in assets to be frozen and suspended the activities of investigated companies. Refit has denied falsifying tax declarations and has said it is taking steps to regularise liabilities inherited from previous management.
Investigators allege that an organisation associated with the refinery may have benefited from connections involving influential public officials. The second phase appears more narrowly focused on how environmental permissions were issued and whether political or administrative influence was used to override technical objections.
Two former state secretaries, Bernardo Rossi and José Mauro Júnior, have also been identified among the reported targets. Rossi previously led Rio’s environment department, while José Mauro served as secretary for digital transformation.
Castro’s Electoral Conviction
The police operation lands after Castro’s political career suffered a devastating setback earlier in 2026. He resigned as governor on 23 March while preparing to pursue a Senate seat in Brazil’s October elections.
One day later, the Superior Electoral Court ruled by five votes to two that Castro had committed abuses of political and economic power, prohibited electoral conduct and unlawful fundraising during the 2022 campaign. The court declared him ineligible to stand for office for eight years and imposed financial penalties.
That case concerned alleged misuse of state structures, including the Ceperj public foundation and Rio de Janeiro State University, to benefit political candidates. It is separate from the Refit criminal investigation and should not be treated as proof of the allegations now being examined by federal police.
Castro challenged the electoral judgment, but the court rejected attempts to overturn the core ruling in June. His eight-year disqualification therefore remained in force as the new searches were conducted.
What Has Castro Said?
Castro’s lawyer said authorities had not searched the former governor’s residence during the latest operation. That statement does not necessarily contradict reports that investigators searched an address or apartment connected to him, but it raises an important distinction over precisely what property was entered and how it was linked to Castro.
At the time of publication, no detailed public defence addressing the environmental licensing allegations had been released. Castro remains entitled to the presumption of innocence in relation to the criminal investigation.
A search warrant also does not mean prosecutors possess enough evidence to bring charges. It allows investigators to seize and examine potential evidence as they attempt to determine whether suspected wrongdoing occurred and who, if anyone, was responsible.
Why The Investigation Matters
Rio de Janeiro has endured repeated scandals involving governors, legislators, public contracts and alleged criminal influence. Castro originally reached the governorship because his predecessor was removed, but he has now left office under the weight of his own electoral conviction and several federal investigations.
The central question is whether Refit merely exploited a weak regulatory system or whether officials deliberately manipulated that system to benefit the company. Establishing that distinction will require evidence connecting individual decisions, communications or payments to identifiable public officials.
For Castro, the political damage may arrive before any criminal conclusion. Being targeted twice by the same major investigation reinforces the image of a former governor surrounded by unresolved questions at the moment he had hoped to move into national politics.
What Happens Next?
Investigators will analyse documents, electronic devices, financial records and communications collected during the searches. That material could produce further warrants, requests for questioning, asset restrictions or new investigative phases if police identify evidence supporting the suspected scheme.
Once the inquiry has advanced, federal police can submit their findings to prosecutors. Prosecutors may then seek charges, request more investigation or conclude that the evidence is insufficient against particular individuals.
The Supreme Court is likely to retain an important supervisory role because the warrants were issued at that level and the investigation involves allegations concerning public officials and organised criminal networks. Efforts to secure Ricardo Magro’s detention could also become central if investigators believe his evidence or extradition is necessary.
Castro’s immediate problem is therefore twofold. His electoral future has already been severely restricted by the eight-year ineligibility ruling, while the Refit investigation now threatens a potentially more serious criminal and reputational reckoning — one that will depend on what police find in the material seized during their latest searches.
