In a significant legal reversal, the chief prosecutor for the Goiânia City Council, Kowalsky do Carmo Costa Ribeiro, has been found not guilty of threatening a fellow city official. The acquittal overturns a previous conviction from just over five months ago, which had ordered him to pay a fine of R$ 7,590 and moral damages equivalent to five minimum wages to the alleged victim.
The case stemmed from an incident on May 5, 2025, in the parking lot of the city council chambers. Ribeiro was accused of drawing and pointing a firearm at Divino Sérgio Dorneles, the chief of staff for councilor Sargento Novandir, during a heated argument. However, the judges of the 3rd Special Criminal Court of the Court of Justice of Goiás reached a unanimous decision to acquit, stating the prosecution failed to prove the threat occurred as described.
A key factor in the judges' decision was the analysis of security camera footage. While the video showed Ribeiro with an object resembling a firearm holstered at his waist, it did not capture the subsequent moments that would have corroborated the claim that he brandished or pointed the weapon. The presiding judge, André Reis Lacerda, noted that the images only evidenced a heated verbal exchange without any unequivocal gesture of an armed threat.
The court's ruling further highlighted the fragility of the evidence. Judge Lacerda pointed out that one of the cameras that could have helped reconstruct the sequence of events was not functioning at the time, which severely weakened the prosecution's case. The accusation relied heavily on the testimony of the alleged victim and a single eyewitness, Eduardo Duarte Gomes, who was a subordinate of Dorneles. The judge advised extreme caution in valuing this testimony, as it was not supported by other independent evidence.
The acquittal was also influenced by the position of the Public Ministry (Ministério Público), which sided with the defense due to the doubts surrounding the evidence for the crime of threat. The decision was made during a session last Wednesday, with the other judges on the second panel concurring with the rapporteur's assessment.
As of the last update of the original report, the alleged victim, Divino Sérgio Dorneles, and his legal team had not been located for comment. The case concludes with the prosecutor being cleared, marking the end of a legal battle that began with his initial conviction last year.
Based on reporting from g1.