Security & Strategic Review - August 2026

Since taking over in March as interim governor of Brazil’s third most populous state, Rio de Janeiro, Ricardo Couto has sought to address alleged corruption that occurred during the administration of former governor Cláudio Castro (2021-2026), a member of the right-wing Partido Liberal (PL) who has been implicated in various corruption probes. Among the main scandals that made headlines in July was a corruption case involving the public policy coordination agency Instituto Rio Metrópole (IRM), which prompted Couto to sack various leading IRM personnel.