INSS CPMI target in Congress Zema Financeira, owned by the family of Minas Gerais governor Romeo Zema (Novo), has received R$200 million in loans granted in the past five years, according to data obtained by Capitals Through the Access to Information (LAI) Act.
This Thursday (4/12), the CPMI agreed to recall the Governor of Minas Gerais in a symbolic vote. Zima was trying to avoid the agenda under the claim that he left the management of the company in 2018, before becoming governor of Minas state.
The company signed an agreement for payroll loans with INSS in 2020, during the administration of Jair Bolsonaro (PL). Since then, the finance company has amassed a portfolio of 69,000 loans.
The big jump occurred in 2023, the first year of Lula’s government, when loans jumped from 11,000 to 68,000, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics. The finance company’s monthly transfers amounted to approximately R$6 million.
Zema was targeted by INSS CPMI because his family’s financial company benefited from a temporary measure that allowed Auxílio Brasil to be used for payroll loans.
The summons was submitted by Federal Rep. Rogerio Correa (PT-MG).
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“It is necessary to summon Mr. Romeo Zema Neto to provide clarifications on the role of the institution in providing financial products to pensioners and pensioners, including salary loans,” the Workers’ Party MP said in his request.
reaction
The opposition and Novo claimed they were being persecuted and voted for him because Zima had “nothing to hide”.
Zima’s defense even submitted a letter to the CPMI with clarifications before the vote, as described in the column written by Paolo Cappelli, from Capitals.
In the statement submitted to the committee, Zima’s defense maintained that the requests were electorally politically motivated and stated that the governor had not been part of the company’s management since October 22, 2018.
According to the lawyers, he officially left the company on that date, according to the minutes of the extraordinary general meeting filed with the Minas Gerais State Trade Council.
The document sent to CPI shows that he will have common shares amounting to 16% of the company and the rest of the capital will return to other family members.
CPMI’s last session of the year
The committee held its last session for this year on Thursday. The group is expected to conclude its work in March, but the head of the CPMI, Senator Carlos Viana (Podemos-MG), announced that he will request a 60-day extension of the work.
It will be up to the President of the National Congress, Senator Davi Alcolombre (Uniao-AP), to authorize the extension of work or not. Months ago, in the Bets CPI, Alcolumbre did not extend the commission.
INSS party
- The so-called Farra no INSS emerged in December 2023, after a series of reports from Capitals Which showed the huge increase in collections from associations that apply unjustified discounts to pensioners – reaching 2 billion Brazilian reais in one year.
- The entities have responded to thousands of lawsuits over fraudulent affiliations.
- These revelations led to an investigation by the Federal Police and sparked investigations conducted by the Comptroller General of the Union (CGU).
- Operation “No Discount”, which was launched in April of this year, resulted in the dismissal of the then head of the National Institute of Social Security and the then Minister of Social Security, Carlos Lope. In total, the National Front cited 38 reports from the portal in the representation leading up to the operation.