Senior Brazilian cop arrested
Published:Wednesday | September 28, 2011 | 11:17 AM
A senior Brazilian police officer has been arrested on suspicion of ordering the murder of a judge who investigated police corruption.
Lieutenant Colonel Claudio Luiz de Oliveira was detained in Rio de Janeiro, and arrest orders have been issued for at least six other policemen in the city.
Prosecutors said Oliveira ordered the judge’s killing to cover up another murder that his officers were accused of.
Judge Patricia Acioli was shot 21 times as she was leaving her home in August.
She had made a name for herself with a tough stance on police corruption, handing out heavy sentences in a number of cases.
Hours before she was killed, she had issued arrest warrants for a group of officers under Colonel Oliveira's command in connection with the death of an 18-year-old.