Disgruntled with the official league, the AESCRJ representatives of ten samba schools, led by bicheiros, helped found the LIESA in 1984.
Each year, the schools promoted by the Grupo de Acesso to the top league of the Special Group become affiliated to LIESA.
In 2007, LIESA experienced one of the worst crises of its history, with the arrest of various of its leaders, such as Capitão Guimarães and Anísio Abraão David, during Operation Hurricane by the Brazilian Federal Police.
Press reports suggest that Anísio Abraão David, the honorary president of Beija-Flor that won the competition, used bribes and a hitman to buy and intimidate members of the carnival jury.
The Liesa in plenary approved the change of time of parade which now becomes 75 minutes, as has been discussed previously and also a decrease in the number of floats, which now becomes six.