MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th September, 2020) The Rio de Janeiro regional electoral court on Friday disqualified the city's mayor, Marcelo Crivella, from running in elections for six years for alleged abuse of power, media reported.
According to El Periodico newspaper, Crivella is accused of pressuring officials at a municipal company to garner votes for his son in elections to the country's lower house.
The panel of seven judges voted unanimously to ban Crivella from elections and also levied a fine of nearly $20,000.
Crivella, an ultraconservative Evangelical bishop, intend to appeal the decision and take part in the 2022 elections, the newspaper reported citing the Crivella's defense.
In late August, Brazil's Supreme Court suspended Rio de Janeiro Governor Wilson Witzel after finding him guilty of misappropriating funds allotted for pandemic response.
