Willer Tomaz filed requests to increase the construction area on two islands located in Angra dos Reis, in the Green Coast of Rio de Janeiro state, on the same day that the then Governor of Rio de Janeiro, Cláudio Castro, revoked environmental protection management plans through a decree published on March 20th.
Tomaz's requests aimed to double the occupancy rate of Ilha Comprida, where a mansion claimed by football player Richarlison is located, and another project involved a resort development on Ilha José André. This temporal coincidence placed the requests at the center of debates about how the decree impacted the region's environmental preservation standards.
The governmental determination affected several zones, including the Tamoios Environmental Protection Area (APA), established approximately four decades ago to protect mangroves, forests, rocky shores, and islands in the Ilha Grande bay.
The decree was released three days before Castro resigned from his state office. Approximately twenty days later, during the administration of Judge Ricardo Couto, this measure was annulled in response to protests from environmental activists.
Request for increased occupancy on Ilha Comprida
On the day the decree was published, the company associated with Willer Tomaz submitted a request to the State Environmental Institute (Inea) to raise the occupancy rate of Ilha Comprida, in Angra dos Reis, from 15% to 30%. This request directly referenced the decree issued by Cláudio Castro.
The request detailed the construction of a residence exceeding 700 square meters on a 43,000 square meter lot, in addition to the inclusion of a dock and a gym. The then-president of Inea, Renato Bussiere, proceeded with the process in a dispatch signed after midnight.
The island in question hosts the mansion that Richarlison claims to have acquired in October 2020, having invested about R$ 10 million in the purchase and renovation of the property, located near a waterfall that flows into the sea.
Recently, the athlete posted a video on social media accusing Willer Tomaz of usurping his rights over the property through legal maneuvers. Richarlison alleged that he had compensated previous residents and obtained a court ruling confirming his possession. Subsequently, he sought regularization from the Secretariat of Union Heritage (SPU), but the process stalled for ten months. During this period, a company with deceased partners was reactivated, and the assets were transferred to a company linked to the lawyer.
Richarlison also pointed out that the conflict arose after Senator Flávio Bolsonaro visited the island and attempted to acquire the mansion. The player stated that he refused the offer and accuses the senator and Tomaz, who are friends, of conspiring to take away his rights to the property.
Another request planned a resort on a protected island
Ilha Comprida was not the only property in the region targeted by Willer Tomaz's construction expansion requests. On Ilha José André, also in Angra dos Reis, the businessman presented a plan for a hotel complex that would include rooms, pools, a beach club, a spa, a gym, a restaurant, an event space, a hangar, and a helipad.
This development would be installed in an area covered by the Tamoios APA. The plea to increase the island's occupancy rate occurred in the same context as the publication of the state decree that invalidated the environmental protection management plans.
Experts consulted by RJ2 at the time warned that such a measure could pave the way for the reduction of environmental safeguards in various points of the Fluminense coast. However, both requests presented by Willer Tomaz to Inea were not approved, and the expansion of the islands' occupancy rate was not authorized.
Castro and former Inea president are under investigation
Cláudio Castro and Renato Bussiere are under investigation by the Federal Police in an inquiry investigating suspicions of a scheme to capture public positions to satisfy private interests, involving possible practices of influence peddling and favoring allies and close businessmen. It is important to note that the investigation itself does not imply proof of crimes by those involved.
Additionally, the proposal known as PEC das Praias could influence areas such as Angra dos Reis. Presented in 2022, this proposal aimed to change the rules for transferring Union land, including that administered by the Navy, to private occupants upon payment. Although the text has not progressed, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, mentioned by Richarlison in his account of the dispute on Ilha Comprida, is the proponent of the PEC.
Willer Tomaz denies irregularities
The previous week, Willer Tomaz refuted the allegations made by Richarlison. The lawyer argued that the player acquired the property from a person who did not hold formal ownership, but merely occupied the location. According to Tomaz, the company that owned the property since 1986 received no value from the striker. He stated that he bought the asset directly from this company, possessing a public deed, registry in the registry office, and documentation in his name with the Secretariat of Union Heritage.
Tomaz declared: 'The true owner, Richarlison, has a deed, has a registry in the registry office, has the name in the SPU. Why didn't you show that? Because you don't have it.'
Statements from those involved
Former Governor Cláudio Castro clarified that he had not previously discussed the content of the decree with Willer Tomaz or any individual linked to the companies, nor had he received requests from the lawyer related to altering the standard. For Castro, the decree had a technical and general nature, not being created to meet a specific property, company, or demand. He emphasized that the measure only formally adjusted the procedure for approving and reviewing the management plans of certain environmental protection areas to the methodology already used by Inea.
The former governor added that any subsequent requests from individuals or corporations must be technically evaluated by Inea, following the agency's protocols. Renato Bussiere, for his part, explained that the movement of processes is a standard procedure of public administration, aiming to ensure that demands are analyzed by the competent units, and that the forwarding did not signify agreement with the request presented. Bussiere also stated that there was no deliberation authorizing zoning modifications, relaxation of occupancy indices, or execution of works in the cited areas, and that after-hours dispatches were customary.
Willer Tomaz informed that he will not make further statements. The report did not receive a response from Flávio Bolsonaro's staff.