18/04/2013
Federal prosecutors and police are operating in 12 states to fight corruption schemes Autor: Agência Brasil - Nacional
The Public Ministry (MP) and the Federal Police (PF) do today (9) an operation in 12 Brazilian states to combat corruption schemes in public procurement. The action, coordinated by the National Group for Combating Criminal Organizations (Gnococ), intends to meet 86 arrest warrants, search and seizure of 311, 65, 20 block of goods and removal of public functions. Participate in the operation 144 prosecutors and 1200 federal police, road, civil, military, and servers courts of Auditors, the Comptroller General (CGU) and the Federal and state revenues.
The warrants are being met in Bahia, Ceará, Espírito Santo, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Pernambuco, Paraná, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio de Janeiro, Rondônia and São Paulo.
Persons suspected of participating in the scheme are accused of misappropriation of resources in municipal bodies and state, tuition fees, overpricing of products and services, use of shell companies, money laundering, tax evasion and illicit enrichment of public officials. Among the accused are businessmen. Overall, public funds under investigation over R $ 1.1 billion.
In São Paulo, the operation is concentrated in São José do Rio Preto. Municipality in the northwest of the state, an investigation of the Group for Combating Organized Crime (GAECO) identified that contractors branch paving manipulated public tenders in municipalities. The suspicion is that they simulated a competition among themselves for the purpose of overpaying works. According to the Prosecutor of the State of São Paulo, at least 80 municipalities have made contracts with this group, which exceeded U.S. $ 1 billion.
There is also suspicion that servants and officials facilitated the activities of the criminal organization to divert resources local, state and federal. The MP noted the payment of bribes to municipal employees in the amount of R $ 70 thousand. The investigated liable for crimes of fraud to bidding, embezzlement public, active and passive corruption and conspiracy.
Camila Maciel
Brazil Agency reporter
Edition: Juliana Andrade
