Rio's Maracanã Stadium Privatization Suspension Overturned In Brazil Court

A Rio de Janeiro court has "overturned the suspension of the concession" of Brazil's Maracanã stadium to a group of private companies, according to the BBC. The stadium was privatized last week, "but a judge suspended the process saying the bidding was illegal." Monday's ruling reversed this. The court said that "suspending the concession would cause damage to Brazil." On Friday, judge Gisela Faria ruled "there had been irregularities in the bidding process." The Rio de Janeiro state authorities had announced "a group that includes one of the country's richest men, Eike Batista, had won the bid to manage the stadium for the next 35 years." The winning bid also included Brazilian building giant Odebrecht and AEG. The legal action to stop the process was brought by Rio's Prosecutor's Office, which is "yet to announce whether or not it will appeal against Monday's ruling" (BBC, 5/13).