After the incomprehensible hesitation in the dismissal of the deputy Carla Zambelli (PL-SP), then a fugitive, the President of the Chamber, Hugo Motta (Republicanos-PB), was able to correct the situation in the case of the also fugitives Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP) and Alexandre Ramagem (PL-RJ), whose mandates were revoked by the Council of the Chamber. We hope that he will also act rigorously in the face of the accusations that now weigh against two other PL deputies from Rio de Janeiro, Carlos Jordy and Sóstenes Cavalcante, leader of the party in the House. Both were the targets of an operation by the Federal Police (PF) aimed at preventing the diversion of resources from the parliamentary quota.
- Search and seizure: Sóstenes and Jordy are the targets of a PF operation to investigate deviations from parliamentary quotas
Investigations reveal a facet of Bolsonarism that has nothing ideological about it and goes beyond coup plots or attacks on democratic institutions: rampant corruption with parliamentary funds. The facts clash with the fierce moralizing discourse that has always been heard from these deputies.
The parliamentary quota is intended to cover expenses related to legislative activity, such as travel, meals or employees hired by the cabinet. It is not uncommon for resources to be diverted for other purposes. The best-known method is called “rachadinha”: employees of the firm pay part of their earnings to the politician who hires them. It is this accusation that weighed against former state deputy and now senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ), whose case was closed by the Federal Supreme Court (STF) for violation of tax and banking secrecy.
- Operation: PF seizes 430,000 BRL in cash from address linked to MP Sóstenes Cavalcante
This time, investigations into the funds allocated to Jordy and Sóstenes led to Operation Galho Fraco, led by the PF. Police officers executed search and seizure warrants in Brasilia and Rio to determine whether “political operatives, commissioned employees, and individuals acted in a coordinated manner to embezzle and then conceal public funds.” The targets are suspected of having committed the crimes of embezzlement, money laundering and the formation of a criminal organization. The PF operation found, at Sóstenes’ address in Brasilia, R$430,000 in cash (he claims he had not deposited the amount received from the sale of a property).
Research suggests a more sophisticated form of “rachadinha.” According to the PF, MPs used commissioned employees in offices to divert resources through fraudulent payments to companies. One of them is Harue Locação de Veículos Ltda., a rental company which, according to the investigation, is owned by an advisor of Jordy and was managed by his family to receive payments for services not provided and pocket the money. Amazon Serviços e Construções is another company that has been investigated for suspected use for advance payment purposes. In total, the PF has identified, between 2023 and 2024, 27 million BRL moved by PL advisors without identified origin. Responding to a request from the Attorney General’s Office, STF Minister Flávio Dino ordered the breaking of banking, tax and telematic secrecy of MPs and other people involved.
Investigations are still ongoing and the scale of the project is uncertain. We will have to wait for the result to draw criminal conclusions in this regard. All parliamentarians and councilors must have the right to provide explanations of the facts and to defend themselves in court. In any case, on the political level, the operation undoubtedly represents a new blow for the party loyal to former president Jair Bolsonaro, shortly after the loss of three of its representatives, all dismissed.
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