Ex-highway police head detained in Brazil in connection with elections
The former chief of Brazil's highway police was arrested Wednesday over allegations he deployed officers to prevent voters in left-leaning areas from casting ballots in the country's divisive elections last year.
Silvinei Vasques, director of the Federal Highway Police (PRF) under far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, was arrested in the southern city of Florianopolis, a police source told AFP.
He is accused of abusing his position and obstructing the right to vote with massive roadblock operations in Brazil's northeast on October 30, the day of Bolsonaro's runoff election against now-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The northeast, Brazil's most populous region, is largely poor, black and pro-Lula. It delivered the election to the veteran leftist that day, giving him nearly 70 percent of its votes.
The national result was a far narrower 50.9 percent for Lula to 49.1 percent for Bolsonaro.
Witnesses said highway police roadblocks created huge traffic jams on election day, when officers stopped and boarded buses taking voters to the polls, in some cases allegedly trying to influence or intimidate them.
Highway police leadership is accused of "directing human and material resources to impede the transit of voters" on election day, federal police said in a statement.
"The crimes were allegedly planned from early October."
Authorities also carried out 10 search and seizure operations in connection with the investigation, acting under the Supreme Court's orders, it said.
Vasques had reportedly posted his support for Bolsonaro on social media ahead of the election.
He denied wrongdoing when he was called to testify on the roadblocks before a Congressional inquiry in June, saying the northeast has a high number of traffic accidents.
