Killer Ratings (2019) s01e05 Episode Script
In God's Hands
A NETFLIX ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY SERIES I open the Bible and read the book of Job.
VOICE OF WALLACE SOUZA Job loses his sons and his wealth.
Bolts of lightning struck from the sky His servants were slain God took everything from him.
Everything.
Job went through many trials but he always said God would not abandon him.
So, in the end, God rewarded Job with double of what he had.
Everything doubled.
And I am sure God will do the same for me.
The Task Force dragged my father's name through the mud.
WALLACE'S SON With no shame or mercy.
The decision to impeach was a matter of life and death.
STATE ASSEMBLY MAY 25, 2009 The Task Force delivered a dossier to the State Assembly that outlines the accusations against Representative Wallace Souza.
The dossier consists of more than 500 pages, and three DVDs of Canal Livre's shows.
CHIEF DETECTIVE DIVANILSON CAVALCANTI HEAD OF TASK FORCE That was a very important moment for the Task Force.
This moment was to share with the State Assembly all of the evidence that the Task Force had gathered until that moment.
Once I've read the prosecutor's dossier, I will be able to build my defense, because I still don't know what I am being accused of.
Wallace faces several accusations, including witness intimidation, as well as forming a criminal organization and drug trafficking.
Does the dossier ask for the Representative to be impeached? It suggests signs of wrongdoing, but above all indicates a breach of parliamentary decorum.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE This is the issue of decorum.
Decorum is a kind of image of credibility and honor that the Parliament needs to uphold.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE So we believed that impeachment would be necessary in case of breach of parliamentary decorum.
Unfortunately, Representative Wallace got himself involved with people with a criminal background, who shouldn't be personally involved with a State Representative.
Moa criminals there was the issue with Colonel Arce, who was under a lot of suspicion Colonel Felipe Arce Rio Branco, a Military Police official who served for many years as Head of Intelligence.
HEAD OF MILITARY POLICE INTELLIGENCE ARRESTED BY FEDERAL POLICE In a Federal Police operation Colonel Arce was arrested for tax fraud.
We discovered Arce's involvement in many crimes.
He committed tax fraud and there's also the matter of executions.
He had a group of policemen under his command, and they did their work as if they weren't from the police.
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIS FEDERAL POLICE WIRETAPS Military Policeman: I'm calling you to say I arrested someone from your area.
- Man: Really? - Military Policeman: And we beat his ass.
Man: You punched him really hard? Policeman: Punches? Why would I waste my time? Policeman: What do you think I have boots for? Man: That's right.
Kick the motherfucker in the mouth.
Man: You should have him killed.
Colonel Arce and his policemen were acting like a squad that killed criminals, but he's still in the Military Police.
He was not expelled from the force.
Felipe Arce was a Colonel with huge power in the Military Police.
PROSECUTOR FÃBIO MONTEIRO TASK FORCE We discovered that there was a close connection between Arce and Wallace.
- Colonel Arce: Hello.
- Wallace: Hello, chief.
Colonel Arce: Speak up, boss.
My boss.
How's it been? Wallace: So, how's everything? Colonel Arce: Let's talk.
Colonel Arce: I'm lonely on this couch.
Since he was Head of Military Police Intelligence, he gave privileged information to Wallace.
- Wallace: Hello.
- Colonel Arce: Hello.
- Wallace: Colonel - Colonel Arce: Hey.
Wallace: Do you know anything about a possible robbery tonight at the Playboy Motel? Colonel Arce: We're working on it.
- Wallace: So you have the info? - Colonel Arce: Yes.
Wallace: Because I also got the info.
I mean, they sent a message.
A motel in the city is going to be robbed.
"Can you confirm so I can send my crew in?" It's there.
It's there, in the evidence.
SECRETARY OF INTELLIGENCE He simply schedules a time so they could follow the action.
Colonel Arce and Wallace were thick as thieves.
They were real friends.
But the Task Force said Wallace killed criminals and that Colonel Arce and his team helped Wallace with these killings.
That is a lie.
Only the Task Force believed in that because it produced those lies.
DEFENSE ATTORNEY - WALLACE CASE They may have intercepted calls from Wallace to Arce, from Arce to Wallace but only because as Head of the Military Police Intelligence, he was tasked with helping the show.
FEDERAL WITNESS STATEMENT - 2010 As a member of the Military Police Intelligence, you said they would accompany you on police operations? - Yes.
- You did? And did you know about this? Everyone did.
It was broadcast on the show.
I want to appeal to my friends in the Intelligence Department, Colonel Arce and Lieutenant Alan, to help me here.
If you watch the tapes of the shows, you'll see that they are there.
The Military Police.
It's like those shows in São Paulo.
The same thing.
But when they started the Moa and Wallace case, they decided that this was now a crime.
"You shouldn't have made those calls.
" "The Representative should not have called you.
" "If he called you, it meant you would be committing crimes together.
" They made up this story so that, in the eyes of the public, he became a monster.
In truth, Wallace wasn't the head of a team of killers.
My theory is that he, Colonel Arce and his cops since they killed a lot of criminals, they called Wallace, and Wallace would arrive before the others.
You must understand the following the goal was to fight organized crime.
But we know that, with the police, killing someone is a side-effect of fighting crime.
We cannot know the true nature of their relationship.
But the idea that Wallace killed for his show is a myth, it's hot air.
There were dozens of wiretaps between them.
But none of these conversations proved that they were part of a death squad together.
So, the Task Force created another case to incriminate Wallace, to destroy him politically.
Moa had said in his statement to the Task Force that Wallace and Colonel Arce had plotted to kill Federal Judge Jaiza Fraxe.
JUDGE JAIZA FRAXE Federal Judge Jaiza Maria Fraxe was responsible for the arrest of the Military Police Colonel Felipe Rio Branco Arce.
Arce was very angry, so he wanted me dead, and he started to plan for it.
Colonel Felipe Arce had apparently been visited by Raphael Souza.
Arce allegedly handed him a note, a note that said, "Pour salt on the judge.
" FEDERAL ATTORNEY It's an expression that everyone understands as killing the federal judge.
Did you find the note? The note wasn't found.
Criminal organizations prefer to do their work in secret.
Luiz Pulga was apparently hired by the criminal group to take my life.
KNOWN HITMAN It seems he turned down the proposal.
That's when they decided to murder him.
CAMERAS FILM EXECUTION 'MOA' CONFIRMS PLAN TO KILL JUDGE POLICE TO HEAR WALLACE OVER PLOT TO KILL JUDGE The alleged plot to kill the federal judge was like a bomb to the press and was widely reported at the time.
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIS The Task Force began to make public the witness statements they were gathering.
POLITICAL JOURNALIS So, most of the statements were somehow leaked to the press, despite being confidential.
There was a strategy.
Flood the press with information, and put pressure on the members of the State Assembly WIRETAPS SHOW SOUZA FAMILY SCHEME PRISONER LINKED WALLACE TO PLOT TO KILL JUDGE With so many accusations against the Representative, they formed an ethics committee inside the State Assembly to investigate his conduct as a representative.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE The President of the Assembly asked me to be part of the Ethics Committee.
An ethics committee assesses allegations of wrongdoing by representatives.
But we all had a personal relationship, as friends, with Representative Wallace Souza.
If he was impeached, he would lose his parliamentary immunity.
He could be arrested as a common citizen.
We were all aware of that.
They want me impeached so they can arrest me and destroy me.
This is their goal.
- And your son is in jail.
- My son's been in jail for three months.
- Do they have evidence against him? - None! Not a single thing.
What do you expect for your political future, for your personal life? I am sure I will continue my political career because God paved the way for me.
So he said the following: "If they impeach me, it will definitely be a death sentence.
Because prison is full of guys I helped to get arrested.
" But this House will not do it, because they know, they know my heart and my story.
This box here is basically what's left of my father's story.
Everything's here.
Reading the newspapers from that time, the press was gearing up to destroy my father's reputation.
Look how absurd this is.
"The Representative allegedly had a militia.
" "Representative Wallace Souza is said to lead a group of 43 men owning a stash of weapons, and committing many crimes, from drug traffic to murders.
" "According to the members of the Task Force, there are at least 17 murders" Where are those 17 murders? They are nowhere! They never proved that.
I had many doubts regarding the number of kills.
First it was 13, but then it changed to 15.
Many times we asked the police for proof, but there was no concrete evidence.
It was all negative, and it was stressful.
My father had poor health, and he had many health issues.
All of this aggravated his illness.
The Ethics Committee had begun its own investigation.
They started taking statements from people, including Wallace himself.
At the time, he was already ill.
If I'm not mistaken, a dilated spleen, a blocked heart vein Since he was in the hospital, we thought it would be more practical for the Committee to take his statement there.
But Representative Wallace Souza preferred he chose to do it himself to come to the Parliament on a stretcher, with a doctor, to give his statement.
ETHICS COMMITTEE JULY 7, 2009 He was on a stretcher.
It was crazy.
It looked like a movie.
His cardio-respiratory system was normal, blood pressure is normal, and lungs are normal.
He is psychologically able to give his statement today at the Assembly.
So what we wanted was to hear Wallace's version.
He kept the same story from the beginning to the end.
That it was a political plot, that he was being persecuted by opposing political groups His statement will be cut short.
He's not very well.
That's why he has to leave now.
It was not only shocking, but, at the same time, we were suspicious if that scene was really necessary.
My impression was that it was another attempt to change public opinion.
Representative Wallace Souza turned that into a spectacle.
Nothing was staged.
He really had health issues.
He suffered greatly.
STATEMENT RAISES MORE DOUBTS THE ASSEMBLY GIVES SIGNS OF WALLACE ACQUITTAL WALLACE CAUSED EMBARRASSMEN AMONG REPRESENTATIVES Both the Task Force and Representative Wallace Souza used the press to manipulate or influence public opinion.
'I'M INNOCENT' The Task Force understood they needed support from the press.
POLICE INVESTIGATING 40 LEADS FROM 'MOA' DOSSIER LINKS WALLACE TO A SERIES OF CRIMES That's when they started to release new information about the case every day.
Wallace was being treated in São Paulo, and I suggested we go to the mall to grab a bite.
WALLACE'S SISTER We were sitting and suddenly it was there on TV The politician also hosted a TV show that showed scenes of murdered people.
Now for the gruesome detail.
The police believe these deaths were ordered by the Representative himself.
Here's the body.
It's still Fantástico was highly popular, and also one of the most watched shows in Brazil.
It's a news program that airs every Sunday, and they had a biased edit.
The highest voted representative in Amazon State, Wallace is investigated for criminal conspiracy, association with drug trafficking, and illegal possession of weapons.
It was about how he ordered the killings, so he could film them as stories.
So that's what caught the attention of Fantástico.
Some of the killings shown in the Representative's show were commissioned by the politician himself.
All of their claims were being confirmed by the Task Force.
He decided that crimes would be committed to create news for the show.
That practically destroyed my father, because it showed the world a fantasy, a biased report for the whole of Brazil to see.
Fifteen people linked to him have already been arrested, including a Colonel from Military Police Intelligence, several police officers, and the Representative's own son.
I'm innocent.
The wealth of evidence against the Representative is immense for association with drug traffic and criminal conspiracy.
For him, that was horrible.
It was too much, that was what hurt Wallace the most.
That's what tormented him the most.
It made him cry a lot when they said he was a drug trafficker.
He felt a lot of shame.
At the time, he told me that he was not far from taking his own life.
It had a big effect on Manaus and the Amazon State.
It made a big impact across Brazil.
Wherever you'd go, restaurants, shops, everywhere, the only topic in Manaus was Fantástico.
His popularity had kept growing, so I didn't find it weird that everyone was accusing Wallace.
I dreamed of many good things.
Braga and the group that has been governing the state for almost 40 years were interested in destroying the Souza brothers politically.
Suppressing Wallace.
Otherwise, they would lose political ground.
So, Governor, was there a conspiracy? The Representative says so.
If there was one, it would have shown up during the campaign, right? There is nothing to say politically.
It's a politcal case.
If there's a crime, it must be evaluated and investigated.
And may the guilty ones pay for their crimes like everyone else.
I had a dream, it was only a dream.
I dreamed of being a state representative, and I made it.
I had the will, I faced the difficulties, I knocked at the doors and was elected.
Are you ready for a new war? To overcome four thromboses, two lung embolisms, a stroke right? So I have been given a chance by God.
In the past, the main criticism about my show was that I judged others.
And that was the main criticism against me regarding the show.
"See how he points his finger calling the man a criminal.
" But they are doing ten times worse than I had supposedly done back then on the show.
I always say my life is a staircase.
I cannot climb from the first stair to the last in one step.
So I will have to climb the second stair.
And the second stair is my absolution.
It's my innocence.
From the second stair, I get to the third.
Slowly.
But I am certain I will reach the last one.
And if I reach the last stair, in 2010, I am absolutely certain I will be the most voted representative again.
ETHICS COMMITTEE AUGUST 27, 2009 Today, we will hear Representative Wallace Souza for the second time.
If there is no evidence for the conviction, he should be acquitted, and the report will be filed right away.
If we decide that he has something to answer for, then there will be sanctions against Representative Souza.
- God bless you.
- Thank you.
If I received money for every photo, I'd be well off.
For eight months I've been paying a high price, an absurd price, for someone who only worked to save lives.
Someone in the public eye, that everyone knows, and that, suddenly, has gone from public figure to criminal.
They won't succeed.
You can sit there.
Thank you, everyone.
The members of the Task Force were sure that he was a criminal, but the Ethics Committee, the way I see it, had a few doubts.
But if you ask me, "Are you 100% sure Wallace was guilty?" I'll say, "No, I'm not.
" "Are you 100% sure Wallace was innocent?" I'll say, "I'm also not sure.
" If there were crimes, those should be proved beyond any doubt, but they weren't.
There was always a third party, someone else who was said to have carried them out.
And the Representative denied taking any part in them.
There was no clear evidence that this was a an unquestionable truth.
There wasn't.
That raised some doubts.
It was really long and tiresome, but Wallace gave us the necessary explanations and justifications.
What new evidence have you brought to the interview today? I have presented a lot of documentation.
I have also submitted a video.
They said I killed A, B, C and D.
My evidence says otherwise.
So I hope justice will prevail.
I'm sure the report will be fair, because I actually succeeded in denying these alleged crimes attributed to this supposed criminal organization.
A date has now been set to decide whether impeachment proceedings should go forward.
Once the final allegations have been delivered, the Committee has five days to decide whether to take it to the Assembly's vote or file it away.
- Good news, no? - Yes, the first to mention filing it.
Yeah.
Filing is good.
Filing They didn't talk about it before.
At the time, a brother of mine lived in Europe.
I spoke to him and he said, "Hey, they're talking about this bizarre story about a state representative in Manaus.
" Present at the scene of the crime before the police, his TV show turned Wallace Souza into a legend in Brazil.
We've just learned the presenter was also a gangster and ordered the very killings he described.
Then the international press heard the news from Fantástico.
BBC, CNN crews from England, Venezuela - Japan - Argentina For the first time on Argentinian TV, a contract killing.
So the international media believed there was a man who murdered the competition for an audience.
That's what they reported.
And how the world viewed my father.
My father's voice? No one heard it.
The opinion of the representatives in the Assembly changed radically when the story of Wallace's case went worldwide.
Emails started to arrive, from people hounding representatives that Wallace had to be impeached.
At the time, I felt there had been a significant change in behavior.
The distance between me as the Committee's secretary and the other representatives.
I noticed an estrangement.
From that point, they decided the Assembly should vote on the case.
The Ethics Committee seems to agree with you that there is no evidence against you.
Nevertheless, your case will be voted by the Assembly.
How do you evaluate this decision? I think there's a great chance the Assembly will acquit me.
You can't judge anyone without proof.
I am certain the Assembly will remain independent.
That the Assembly will acquit me.
I am sure of that, because I'm in God's hands.
Representative, do you have a plan in case you are impeached? Just to help people.
What do you think will happen on Wednesday? Do you want an answer on or off the record? Personally, I think he'll definitely be impeached.
I can't see an alternative.
Now, speaking on behalf of the Secretary of Security, that's up to the Assembly to decide.
That will depend on their evaluation based on the evidence we gave them.
Are the police on standby? Will he be arrested if he's impeached? Again, off the record, I volunteered with my colleague to be at the door to be the first to handcuff him.
THE VOTE OCTOBER 1ST, 2009 He slept with me, in my room.
We got up really early.
Our hearts were pounding.
We were worried.
He rented a white suit.
He said he wanted to go dressed all in white.
To symbolize the peace he wanted to show.
He was very spiritual.
That's what he wanted to show people.
That people didn't see him like the monster pictured by the press.
We all held hands and prayed, asking God to give us justice.
And I hugged him tight and said everything would be well.
Because I knew that if he was impeached, they would destroy him.
They would end him for good.
The day started with crowds in front of the Legislative Assembly.
The city just stopped.
The representative with the highest number of votes ever in the Amazon State.
Students from a state school went there to ask for Wallace Souza's impeachment.
Shame! Embarrassment! Disappointment! The people on the streets want him impeached! We got there and saw militants who had come from nowhere.
They rented a bus and collected students from the school to take part in this ridiculous scene of the impeachment.
How did they get to the Assembly? How? They went on their own? I don't know.
They made this whole spectacle where everything was already prepared.
The State Assembly has 24 representatives.
More than 13 votes were needed to impeach Wallace.
With 13 votes or less, the request would be filed away.
My father went straight to the chamber and I went to the gallery.
The Assembly gallery has been packed since midday.
It was packed.
People from the East Zone, the outskirts.
People pro-Wallace.
I remember he was dressed all in white.
And he seemed very sad and isolated.
It was a very tense day.
Very difficult.
Very edgy.
Voting in the process of judging Representative Francisco Wallace Cavalcante de Souza regarding breaching Parliamentary decorum.
A day of great apprehension.
Representative Wallace, please approach the stand to speak.
Wallace! Wallace! Wallace! Wallace! I will try to be brief.
I haven't written a speech.
Here on my right, is the paperwork on Moa's case.
They made sure they were leaked to the world.
A farce, lies, injustice.
But all I have to apologize for is this embarrassment you are being put through.
I didn't want that.
I swear I didn't.
This is what hurts me the most.
And what I ask is just for an opportunity.
Instead of condemning an innocent acquit someone only suspected of wrongdoing.
Because there is no proof against me.
From this stand, I have challenged the Task Force if they brought a single piece of evidence against me, I would have resigned straight away.
But to this day, they never presented any proof.
I am sure that God will touch each of your hearts.
I believe it, just as I believe this Bible I brought here today.
"Do not let my enemies, those liars, gloat over my defeat.
Do not let those who hate me without cause gloat and be merry, because of my disgrace.
They do not speak peacefully, on the contrary, they make false accusations against those who live quietly in the land.
They sneer at me and say, 'With our eyes, we've seen it.
' But you, oh, Lord, you have seen it, so don't be silent, Lord.
Do not abandon me.
Awake and rise to my defense.
Oh, Lord, you are fair.
Tell them that I am innocent.
Do not let my enemies gloat.
Do not let them say, 'We have swallowed him up, just as we wanted.
'" That's all I ask of you.
Justice.
And the representatives began to vote.
Everyone was silent.
It was a ballot box.
Done by hand.
Anonymously.
In a metal ballot.
And I want to say it was really hard for me to make my decision.
And after this silence The voting is complete.
I hereby authorize, after the vote, the results to be shown on the screen.
It appeared on the big screen.
Sixteen "Yes.
" Four "No.
" Three abstentions.
I declare the impeachment of Wallace Souza.
The representatives left.
He stood there, alone.
Alone.
I make you this promise to stop the violence and fight those who stopped caring about you.
What a decisive moment.
We see people have rewarded our work and our principles.
They succeeded in getting what they'd always wanted.
So it was a victory for them and a defeat for us.
How can one person fight against the press? The justice system? Please.
Please.
Please, show some respect.
Please, show some respect.
I know you have to right to film, but show some respect, for the love of God.
Please show some respect.
It was total despair.
Enormous despair.
I was totally bewildered.
I lost all control.
Relatives of Wallace are assaulting the press.
You got what you wanted.
You've destroyed a man without a trial or a conviction.
The press is simply destroying our family.
What kind of press is this? You dirty hypocrites! This one's for you.
Wallace didn't want to talk to the press.
With the impeachment, Wallace Souza loses his political rights for eight years and can't run for public office for this period.
By law, he's now a common citizen to the justice system.
The Justice Department has issued a warrant for the arrest of the former Representative Wallace Souza.
Since we believe he's the leader of this organization, we issued the arrest warrant.
We went to his house with the arrest warrant.
In the living room, on the dining table, there were candles, many candles.
Arranged in a strange way.
It looked like some sort of ritual.
We swept each corner of the house searching He wasn't there.
And, at this exact moment, he became a fugitive.
VOICE OF WALLACE SOUZA Job loses his sons and his wealth.
Bolts of lightning struck from the sky His servants were slain God took everything from him.
Everything.
Job went through many trials but he always said God would not abandon him.
So, in the end, God rewarded Job with double of what he had.
Everything doubled.
And I am sure God will do the same for me.
The Task Force dragged my father's name through the mud.
WALLACE'S SON With no shame or mercy.
The decision to impeach was a matter of life and death.
STATE ASSEMBLY MAY 25, 2009 The Task Force delivered a dossier to the State Assembly that outlines the accusations against Representative Wallace Souza.
The dossier consists of more than 500 pages, and three DVDs of Canal Livre's shows.
CHIEF DETECTIVE DIVANILSON CAVALCANTI HEAD OF TASK FORCE That was a very important moment for the Task Force.
This moment was to share with the State Assembly all of the evidence that the Task Force had gathered until that moment.
Once I've read the prosecutor's dossier, I will be able to build my defense, because I still don't know what I am being accused of.
Wallace faces several accusations, including witness intimidation, as well as forming a criminal organization and drug trafficking.
Does the dossier ask for the Representative to be impeached? It suggests signs of wrongdoing, but above all indicates a breach of parliamentary decorum.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE This is the issue of decorum.
Decorum is a kind of image of credibility and honor that the Parliament needs to uphold.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE So we believed that impeachment would be necessary in case of breach of parliamentary decorum.
Unfortunately, Representative Wallace got himself involved with people with a criminal background, who shouldn't be personally involved with a State Representative.
Moa criminals there was the issue with Colonel Arce, who was under a lot of suspicion Colonel Felipe Arce Rio Branco, a Military Police official who served for many years as Head of Intelligence.
HEAD OF MILITARY POLICE INTELLIGENCE ARRESTED BY FEDERAL POLICE In a Federal Police operation Colonel Arce was arrested for tax fraud.
We discovered Arce's involvement in many crimes.
He committed tax fraud and there's also the matter of executions.
He had a group of policemen under his command, and they did their work as if they weren't from the police.
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIS FEDERAL POLICE WIRETAPS Military Policeman: I'm calling you to say I arrested someone from your area.
- Man: Really? - Military Policeman: And we beat his ass.
Man: You punched him really hard? Policeman: Punches? Why would I waste my time? Policeman: What do you think I have boots for? Man: That's right.
Kick the motherfucker in the mouth.
Man: You should have him killed.
Colonel Arce and his policemen were acting like a squad that killed criminals, but he's still in the Military Police.
He was not expelled from the force.
Felipe Arce was a Colonel with huge power in the Military Police.
PROSECUTOR FÃBIO MONTEIRO TASK FORCE We discovered that there was a close connection between Arce and Wallace.
- Colonel Arce: Hello.
- Wallace: Hello, chief.
Colonel Arce: Speak up, boss.
My boss.
How's it been? Wallace: So, how's everything? Colonel Arce: Let's talk.
Colonel Arce: I'm lonely on this couch.
Since he was Head of Military Police Intelligence, he gave privileged information to Wallace.
- Wallace: Hello.
- Colonel Arce: Hello.
- Wallace: Colonel - Colonel Arce: Hey.
Wallace: Do you know anything about a possible robbery tonight at the Playboy Motel? Colonel Arce: We're working on it.
- Wallace: So you have the info? - Colonel Arce: Yes.
Wallace: Because I also got the info.
I mean, they sent a message.
A motel in the city is going to be robbed.
"Can you confirm so I can send my crew in?" It's there.
It's there, in the evidence.
SECRETARY OF INTELLIGENCE He simply schedules a time so they could follow the action.
Colonel Arce and Wallace were thick as thieves.
They were real friends.
But the Task Force said Wallace killed criminals and that Colonel Arce and his team helped Wallace with these killings.
That is a lie.
Only the Task Force believed in that because it produced those lies.
DEFENSE ATTORNEY - WALLACE CASE They may have intercepted calls from Wallace to Arce, from Arce to Wallace but only because as Head of the Military Police Intelligence, he was tasked with helping the show.
FEDERAL WITNESS STATEMENT - 2010 As a member of the Military Police Intelligence, you said they would accompany you on police operations? - Yes.
- You did? And did you know about this? Everyone did.
It was broadcast on the show.
I want to appeal to my friends in the Intelligence Department, Colonel Arce and Lieutenant Alan, to help me here.
If you watch the tapes of the shows, you'll see that they are there.
The Military Police.
It's like those shows in São Paulo.
The same thing.
But when they started the Moa and Wallace case, they decided that this was now a crime.
"You shouldn't have made those calls.
" "The Representative should not have called you.
" "If he called you, it meant you would be committing crimes together.
" They made up this story so that, in the eyes of the public, he became a monster.
In truth, Wallace wasn't the head of a team of killers.
My theory is that he, Colonel Arce and his cops since they killed a lot of criminals, they called Wallace, and Wallace would arrive before the others.
You must understand the following the goal was to fight organized crime.
But we know that, with the police, killing someone is a side-effect of fighting crime.
We cannot know the true nature of their relationship.
But the idea that Wallace killed for his show is a myth, it's hot air.
There were dozens of wiretaps between them.
But none of these conversations proved that they were part of a death squad together.
So, the Task Force created another case to incriminate Wallace, to destroy him politically.
Moa had said in his statement to the Task Force that Wallace and Colonel Arce had plotted to kill Federal Judge Jaiza Fraxe.
JUDGE JAIZA FRAXE Federal Judge Jaiza Maria Fraxe was responsible for the arrest of the Military Police Colonel Felipe Rio Branco Arce.
Arce was very angry, so he wanted me dead, and he started to plan for it.
Colonel Felipe Arce had apparently been visited by Raphael Souza.
Arce allegedly handed him a note, a note that said, "Pour salt on the judge.
" FEDERAL ATTORNEY It's an expression that everyone understands as killing the federal judge.
Did you find the note? The note wasn't found.
Criminal organizations prefer to do their work in secret.
Luiz Pulga was apparently hired by the criminal group to take my life.
KNOWN HITMAN It seems he turned down the proposal.
That's when they decided to murder him.
CAMERAS FILM EXECUTION 'MOA' CONFIRMS PLAN TO KILL JUDGE POLICE TO HEAR WALLACE OVER PLOT TO KILL JUDGE The alleged plot to kill the federal judge was like a bomb to the press and was widely reported at the time.
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIS The Task Force began to make public the witness statements they were gathering.
POLITICAL JOURNALIS So, most of the statements were somehow leaked to the press, despite being confidential.
There was a strategy.
Flood the press with information, and put pressure on the members of the State Assembly WIRETAPS SHOW SOUZA FAMILY SCHEME PRISONER LINKED WALLACE TO PLOT TO KILL JUDGE With so many accusations against the Representative, they formed an ethics committee inside the State Assembly to investigate his conduct as a representative.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE The President of the Assembly asked me to be part of the Ethics Committee.
An ethics committee assesses allegations of wrongdoing by representatives.
But we all had a personal relationship, as friends, with Representative Wallace Souza.
If he was impeached, he would lose his parliamentary immunity.
He could be arrested as a common citizen.
We were all aware of that.
They want me impeached so they can arrest me and destroy me.
This is their goal.
- And your son is in jail.
- My son's been in jail for three months.
- Do they have evidence against him? - None! Not a single thing.
What do you expect for your political future, for your personal life? I am sure I will continue my political career because God paved the way for me.
So he said the following: "If they impeach me, it will definitely be a death sentence.
Because prison is full of guys I helped to get arrested.
" But this House will not do it, because they know, they know my heart and my story.
This box here is basically what's left of my father's story.
Everything's here.
Reading the newspapers from that time, the press was gearing up to destroy my father's reputation.
Look how absurd this is.
"The Representative allegedly had a militia.
" "Representative Wallace Souza is said to lead a group of 43 men owning a stash of weapons, and committing many crimes, from drug traffic to murders.
" "According to the members of the Task Force, there are at least 17 murders" Where are those 17 murders? They are nowhere! They never proved that.
I had many doubts regarding the number of kills.
First it was 13, but then it changed to 15.
Many times we asked the police for proof, but there was no concrete evidence.
It was all negative, and it was stressful.
My father had poor health, and he had many health issues.
All of this aggravated his illness.
The Ethics Committee had begun its own investigation.
They started taking statements from people, including Wallace himself.
At the time, he was already ill.
If I'm not mistaken, a dilated spleen, a blocked heart vein Since he was in the hospital, we thought it would be more practical for the Committee to take his statement there.
But Representative Wallace Souza preferred he chose to do it himself to come to the Parliament on a stretcher, with a doctor, to give his statement.
ETHICS COMMITTEE JULY 7, 2009 He was on a stretcher.
It was crazy.
It looked like a movie.
His cardio-respiratory system was normal, blood pressure is normal, and lungs are normal.
He is psychologically able to give his statement today at the Assembly.
So what we wanted was to hear Wallace's version.
He kept the same story from the beginning to the end.
That it was a political plot, that he was being persecuted by opposing political groups His statement will be cut short.
He's not very well.
That's why he has to leave now.
It was not only shocking, but, at the same time, we were suspicious if that scene was really necessary.
My impression was that it was another attempt to change public opinion.
Representative Wallace Souza turned that into a spectacle.
Nothing was staged.
He really had health issues.
He suffered greatly.
STATEMENT RAISES MORE DOUBTS THE ASSEMBLY GIVES SIGNS OF WALLACE ACQUITTAL WALLACE CAUSED EMBARRASSMEN AMONG REPRESENTATIVES Both the Task Force and Representative Wallace Souza used the press to manipulate or influence public opinion.
'I'M INNOCENT' The Task Force understood they needed support from the press.
POLICE INVESTIGATING 40 LEADS FROM 'MOA' DOSSIER LINKS WALLACE TO A SERIES OF CRIMES That's when they started to release new information about the case every day.
Wallace was being treated in São Paulo, and I suggested we go to the mall to grab a bite.
WALLACE'S SISTER We were sitting and suddenly it was there on TV The politician also hosted a TV show that showed scenes of murdered people.
Now for the gruesome detail.
The police believe these deaths were ordered by the Representative himself.
Here's the body.
It's still Fantástico was highly popular, and also one of the most watched shows in Brazil.
It's a news program that airs every Sunday, and they had a biased edit.
The highest voted representative in Amazon State, Wallace is investigated for criminal conspiracy, association with drug trafficking, and illegal possession of weapons.
It was about how he ordered the killings, so he could film them as stories.
So that's what caught the attention of Fantástico.
Some of the killings shown in the Representative's show were commissioned by the politician himself.
All of their claims were being confirmed by the Task Force.
He decided that crimes would be committed to create news for the show.
That practically destroyed my father, because it showed the world a fantasy, a biased report for the whole of Brazil to see.
Fifteen people linked to him have already been arrested, including a Colonel from Military Police Intelligence, several police officers, and the Representative's own son.
I'm innocent.
The wealth of evidence against the Representative is immense for association with drug traffic and criminal conspiracy.
For him, that was horrible.
It was too much, that was what hurt Wallace the most.
That's what tormented him the most.
It made him cry a lot when they said he was a drug trafficker.
He felt a lot of shame.
At the time, he told me that he was not far from taking his own life.
It had a big effect on Manaus and the Amazon State.
It made a big impact across Brazil.
Wherever you'd go, restaurants, shops, everywhere, the only topic in Manaus was Fantástico.
His popularity had kept growing, so I didn't find it weird that everyone was accusing Wallace.
I dreamed of many good things.
Braga and the group that has been governing the state for almost 40 years were interested in destroying the Souza brothers politically.
Suppressing Wallace.
Otherwise, they would lose political ground.
So, Governor, was there a conspiracy? The Representative says so.
If there was one, it would have shown up during the campaign, right? There is nothing to say politically.
It's a politcal case.
If there's a crime, it must be evaluated and investigated.
And may the guilty ones pay for their crimes like everyone else.
I had a dream, it was only a dream.
I dreamed of being a state representative, and I made it.
I had the will, I faced the difficulties, I knocked at the doors and was elected.
Are you ready for a new war? To overcome four thromboses, two lung embolisms, a stroke right? So I have been given a chance by God.
In the past, the main criticism about my show was that I judged others.
And that was the main criticism against me regarding the show.
"See how he points his finger calling the man a criminal.
" But they are doing ten times worse than I had supposedly done back then on the show.
I always say my life is a staircase.
I cannot climb from the first stair to the last in one step.
So I will have to climb the second stair.
And the second stair is my absolution.
It's my innocence.
From the second stair, I get to the third.
Slowly.
But I am certain I will reach the last one.
And if I reach the last stair, in 2010, I am absolutely certain I will be the most voted representative again.
ETHICS COMMITTEE AUGUST 27, 2009 Today, we will hear Representative Wallace Souza for the second time.
If there is no evidence for the conviction, he should be acquitted, and the report will be filed right away.
If we decide that he has something to answer for, then there will be sanctions against Representative Souza.
- God bless you.
- Thank you.
If I received money for every photo, I'd be well off.
For eight months I've been paying a high price, an absurd price, for someone who only worked to save lives.
Someone in the public eye, that everyone knows, and that, suddenly, has gone from public figure to criminal.
They won't succeed.
You can sit there.
Thank you, everyone.
The members of the Task Force were sure that he was a criminal, but the Ethics Committee, the way I see it, had a few doubts.
But if you ask me, "Are you 100% sure Wallace was guilty?" I'll say, "No, I'm not.
" "Are you 100% sure Wallace was innocent?" I'll say, "I'm also not sure.
" If there were crimes, those should be proved beyond any doubt, but they weren't.
There was always a third party, someone else who was said to have carried them out.
And the Representative denied taking any part in them.
There was no clear evidence that this was a an unquestionable truth.
There wasn't.
That raised some doubts.
It was really long and tiresome, but Wallace gave us the necessary explanations and justifications.
What new evidence have you brought to the interview today? I have presented a lot of documentation.
I have also submitted a video.
They said I killed A, B, C and D.
My evidence says otherwise.
So I hope justice will prevail.
I'm sure the report will be fair, because I actually succeeded in denying these alleged crimes attributed to this supposed criminal organization.
A date has now been set to decide whether impeachment proceedings should go forward.
Once the final allegations have been delivered, the Committee has five days to decide whether to take it to the Assembly's vote or file it away.
- Good news, no? - Yes, the first to mention filing it.
Yeah.
Filing is good.
Filing They didn't talk about it before.
At the time, a brother of mine lived in Europe.
I spoke to him and he said, "Hey, they're talking about this bizarre story about a state representative in Manaus.
" Present at the scene of the crime before the police, his TV show turned Wallace Souza into a legend in Brazil.
We've just learned the presenter was also a gangster and ordered the very killings he described.
Then the international press heard the news from Fantástico.
BBC, CNN crews from England, Venezuela - Japan - Argentina For the first time on Argentinian TV, a contract killing.
So the international media believed there was a man who murdered the competition for an audience.
That's what they reported.
And how the world viewed my father.
My father's voice? No one heard it.
The opinion of the representatives in the Assembly changed radically when the story of Wallace's case went worldwide.
Emails started to arrive, from people hounding representatives that Wallace had to be impeached.
At the time, I felt there had been a significant change in behavior.
The distance between me as the Committee's secretary and the other representatives.
I noticed an estrangement.
From that point, they decided the Assembly should vote on the case.
The Ethics Committee seems to agree with you that there is no evidence against you.
Nevertheless, your case will be voted by the Assembly.
How do you evaluate this decision? I think there's a great chance the Assembly will acquit me.
You can't judge anyone without proof.
I am certain the Assembly will remain independent.
That the Assembly will acquit me.
I am sure of that, because I'm in God's hands.
Representative, do you have a plan in case you are impeached? Just to help people.
What do you think will happen on Wednesday? Do you want an answer on or off the record? Personally, I think he'll definitely be impeached.
I can't see an alternative.
Now, speaking on behalf of the Secretary of Security, that's up to the Assembly to decide.
That will depend on their evaluation based on the evidence we gave them.
Are the police on standby? Will he be arrested if he's impeached? Again, off the record, I volunteered with my colleague to be at the door to be the first to handcuff him.
THE VOTE OCTOBER 1ST, 2009 He slept with me, in my room.
We got up really early.
Our hearts were pounding.
We were worried.
He rented a white suit.
He said he wanted to go dressed all in white.
To symbolize the peace he wanted to show.
He was very spiritual.
That's what he wanted to show people.
That people didn't see him like the monster pictured by the press.
We all held hands and prayed, asking God to give us justice.
And I hugged him tight and said everything would be well.
Because I knew that if he was impeached, they would destroy him.
They would end him for good.
The day started with crowds in front of the Legislative Assembly.
The city just stopped.
The representative with the highest number of votes ever in the Amazon State.
Students from a state school went there to ask for Wallace Souza's impeachment.
Shame! Embarrassment! Disappointment! The people on the streets want him impeached! We got there and saw militants who had come from nowhere.
They rented a bus and collected students from the school to take part in this ridiculous scene of the impeachment.
How did they get to the Assembly? How? They went on their own? I don't know.
They made this whole spectacle where everything was already prepared.
The State Assembly has 24 representatives.
More than 13 votes were needed to impeach Wallace.
With 13 votes or less, the request would be filed away.
My father went straight to the chamber and I went to the gallery.
The Assembly gallery has been packed since midday.
It was packed.
People from the East Zone, the outskirts.
People pro-Wallace.
I remember he was dressed all in white.
And he seemed very sad and isolated.
It was a very tense day.
Very difficult.
Very edgy.
Voting in the process of judging Representative Francisco Wallace Cavalcante de Souza regarding breaching Parliamentary decorum.
A day of great apprehension.
Representative Wallace, please approach the stand to speak.
Wallace! Wallace! Wallace! Wallace! I will try to be brief.
I haven't written a speech.
Here on my right, is the paperwork on Moa's case.
They made sure they were leaked to the world.
A farce, lies, injustice.
But all I have to apologize for is this embarrassment you are being put through.
I didn't want that.
I swear I didn't.
This is what hurts me the most.
And what I ask is just for an opportunity.
Instead of condemning an innocent acquit someone only suspected of wrongdoing.
Because there is no proof against me.
From this stand, I have challenged the Task Force if they brought a single piece of evidence against me, I would have resigned straight away.
But to this day, they never presented any proof.
I am sure that God will touch each of your hearts.
I believe it, just as I believe this Bible I brought here today.
"Do not let my enemies, those liars, gloat over my defeat.
Do not let those who hate me without cause gloat and be merry, because of my disgrace.
They do not speak peacefully, on the contrary, they make false accusations against those who live quietly in the land.
They sneer at me and say, 'With our eyes, we've seen it.
' But you, oh, Lord, you have seen it, so don't be silent, Lord.
Do not abandon me.
Awake and rise to my defense.
Oh, Lord, you are fair.
Tell them that I am innocent.
Do not let my enemies gloat.
Do not let them say, 'We have swallowed him up, just as we wanted.
'" That's all I ask of you.
Justice.
And the representatives began to vote.
Everyone was silent.
It was a ballot box.
Done by hand.
Anonymously.
In a metal ballot.
And I want to say it was really hard for me to make my decision.
And after this silence The voting is complete.
I hereby authorize, after the vote, the results to be shown on the screen.
It appeared on the big screen.
Sixteen "Yes.
" Four "No.
" Three abstentions.
I declare the impeachment of Wallace Souza.
The representatives left.
He stood there, alone.
Alone.
I make you this promise to stop the violence and fight those who stopped caring about you.
What a decisive moment.
We see people have rewarded our work and our principles.
They succeeded in getting what they'd always wanted.
So it was a victory for them and a defeat for us.
How can one person fight against the press? The justice system? Please.
Please.
Please, show some respect.
Please, show some respect.
I know you have to right to film, but show some respect, for the love of God.
Please show some respect.
It was total despair.
Enormous despair.
I was totally bewildered.
I lost all control.
Relatives of Wallace are assaulting the press.
You got what you wanted.
You've destroyed a man without a trial or a conviction.
The press is simply destroying our family.
What kind of press is this? You dirty hypocrites! This one's for you.
Wallace didn't want to talk to the press.
With the impeachment, Wallace Souza loses his political rights for eight years and can't run for public office for this period.
By law, he's now a common citizen to the justice system.
The Justice Department has issued a warrant for the arrest of the former Representative Wallace Souza.
Since we believe he's the leader of this organization, we issued the arrest warrant.
We went to his house with the arrest warrant.
In the living room, on the dining table, there were candles, many candles.
Arranged in a strange way.
It looked like some sort of ritual.
We swept each corner of the house searching He wasn't there.
And, at this exact moment, he became a fugitive.