The former mayor of Lajeado, in Rio Grande do Sul, Marcelo Caumo, was arrested this Thursday (26) in an operation launched by the Federal Police.
The second phase of the Operation called “Lamaçal” aims to investigate possible diversions of public funds from the National Social Assistance Fund (FNAS) transferred to the municipal administration of Lajeado (RS), as a result of the floods that occurred in May 2024.
Around 20 search and seizure warrants and two temporary arrest warrants were issued by the Federal Regional Court of the 4th Region, in addition to vehicle hijacking and asset freezing. Three vehicles, electronic devices and documents related to the case were also seized.
The first stage of the operation was launched in November 2025, and the partial analysis of the seized materials reinforced the hypothesis of bidding targeting. The investigations identified irregularities in three tenders from Lajeado City Hall involving companies from the same economic group, contracted to provide social assistance services. There is also evidence that the choices did not follow the most advantageous proposal and that the amounts paid were above market prices.
