The businessman targeted by the Federal Police’s “Coffee Break” operation, which dismantled a fraud scheme in education-related tenders in city halls in the interior of São Paulo, had received from a cashier, within two years, about R$10 million in cash in plastic bags.
According to the National Front, the leader of the scheme is businessman Andre Gonçalves Mariano, owner of Life Tecnologia and one of those arrested in the operation carried out on Wednesday (12/11). According to the investigation, the company collected R$111 million to supply school materials to four municipal councils in São Paulo through contracts suspected of corruption.
The investigation indicates that after receiving the public payments, Life used a sophisticated money laundering scheme to conceal the source and destination of the funds. To do this, resources were sent to shell companies controlled by the money changers.
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These operators were responsible for converting bank transfers into cash. To hide the movements, the group used strategies such as split bill payments instead of one large transaction.
“Andre transferred the public resources he obtained through Life to undercover financial operators and later sought the corresponding amount in cash, minus fees charged by the money changers. The amount withdrawn in cash would be used to pay bribes to lobbyists and civil servants,” the investigation says.
Deputy Mayor
In addition to the money changers, the bribery scheme, the National Front says, involved municipal authorities, businessmen and lobbyists. In total, five people were arrested, including Hortolandia’s deputy mayor, Cavo Cesar (featured image)and the city’s Minister of Education, Fernando Gomez de Moraes. Arrest warrants were also issued in Morongaba, Somare and Limeira, all in the Campinas region.
The Federal Police indicate that the servers acted to direct Victory of Life, sign price registration records, expedite the release and commit to payments for the inflated contracts.
In the files, investigators identified about 30 records of purchases of luxury goods for cash made by Cavo Cesar, with a value equal to or exceeding R$30,000. Some of them will amount to approximately R$ 3 million. “In Gucci and Burberry stores alone, a significant amount of R$ 2,933,113.00 was added,” says PF.
According to the records, Mariano had privileged access to municipal education secretaries and “created demand” for his products, in particular books, robotics kits and educational materials. As a result, the bidding process was manipulated so that Life would win competitions, in exchange for paying bribes to the public officials responsible.
How the scheme worked
- The investigation shows that the scheme has been operating since at least 2021. The criminal cycle involved three main groups: Life Tecnologia, represented by Mariano, public agents and cashiers.
- According to the records, Mariano had privileged access to municipal education secretaries and “created demand” for his products, in particular books, robotics kits and educational materials. As a result, the bidding process was manipulated so that Life would win competitions, in exchange for paying bribes to the public officials responsible.
- Public agents, such as Cafu Cesar and Fernando Gomez de Moraes, worked to guide Life’s victory, signing price registration minutes and accelerating the release and commitment of payments for overpriced contracts.
- In Hortolandia, for example, Mariano co-organized the bidding process by “partnering” with public officials, and even agreed to sell the product. In Somare, the jurisdiction, which is a basic document for notification, was obtained for approval even before official publication.
- The servants received the bribe in kind called “coffee,” which was obtained through money changers, through direct bank transfers, or to the accounts of third parties and family members.
- “It stipulates that the person under investigation used the term ‘café’ to refer to the payment of undue benefits to public employees and that it is possible to infer that, from 2021 to 2024, he paid undue benefits, on dozens of occasions, to public employees and lobbyists associated with various public entities,” the judge says in her decision.
Lobbyists
The investigation by the Federal Police (PF) implicates the former daughter-in-law of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) and the former partner of one of the sons of the Workers’ Party member in the alleged bribery scheme.
Carla Arian Trindade, Lola’s former daughter-in-law, is the target of the investigation. She was married to Marcos Claudio Lula da Silva, one of the president’s sons. According to the investigation, Carla promised privileged access to Brasilia and “defended Mariano’s private interests with public bodies, especially in the search for resources and contracts.”
The businessman even paid for Lula’s ex-daughter-in-law’s ticket to travel with him to the federal capital.
“At least twice, Carla had gone to Brasilia with tickets paid for by Andre Mariano, and the dynamics of the appointments, often supported by other files, show that Carla defends Mariano’s own interests with public bodies, in particular in the search for resources and contracts,” says Judge Raquel Coelho dal Río Silveira, of the First Federal Court of Campinas, in the decision that allowed Operation Coffee Break.
The judge adds that the person being investigated pretended to be a person working for the federal government.
“Karla appears to have, or claims to have, influence on the decisions of the federal government, in particular the FNDE (National Fund for the Development of Education), as well as the municipalities of Mauá/SP, Diadema/SP, Campinas/SP, among others,” the judge adds, based on the PF representation.
Conversations indicate that Carla’s contact was saved on Mariano’s cell phone as “Amiga de Paulínia” and “Nora.”
In addition to her, the investigation points to Khalil Bitar, the former partner of Lula’s eldest son, Fabio Luis Lula da Silva, known as Lulinia, as a person linked to businessman Andre Mariano.
Federal police stated that Khalil had “significant importance and significant involvement in the commercial success” of Life Educacional, “working for Andre Mariano’s ‘business prospecting’ interests.” It would have helped the businessman to “strengthen the lobby in Brasilia”, “and it is likely that this action with the central government made possible the various payments to LIFE by the municipality of Hortolandia”.
What do those involved say?
In a statement, Hortolandia City Hall said it was surprised by the action of the federal police, but was available to the authorities for possible clarifications.
He said: “The municipality confirms that all tenders follow strict procedures, in accordance with the Law on Tenders and Administrative Contracts (Law No. 14133/21), especially with regard to compliance with legal and regulatory standards for contracting companies, including: advertising the bidding process, transparency in the contracting stages, and verifying the delivery of contracted items and services. In the case of electronic auctions, interested parties can participate regardless of their location, which expands access to all stages.”
Cafu Cesar’s lawyer stated that he was still analyzing the files. Lawyer Ralph Tortema Filho said: “These are huge files, and once the analysis is completed, we will take the necessary measures to cancel Cafu’s preventive detention.”
the Capitals He was unable to contact the defenses of the others mentioned. The field remains open for demonstrations.
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