The Minister of Social Security denies any involvement of the department in INSS fraud after the arrest of the executive secretary

Adroaldo Portal was number two in the Ministry of Social Security under Wolney for eight months, although he was cited in previous phases of Operation Sem Desconto, which is investigating fraudulent INSS retirement and pension schemes. Sem Desconto ousted Wolney’s predecessor and political godfather, Carlos Lupi (PDT), in April of this year. The current minister, who has served as executive secretary of the department since 2023, appointed Adroaldo.

Adroaldo was placed under preventive house arrest and was fired by Wolney this Thursday.

— As soon as we learned of the legal measures concerning our executive secretary, Adroaldo Portal, I immediately ordered that he be exonerated. (..) We continue with the same determination with which I committed myself to the President of the Republic. President Lula asked me to contain the crisis, take care of retirees and establish integrity and governance within the ministry, and that is what I am doing. There is no involvement of the Department of Social Security in this operation, so much so that there was no search or seizure at the department — Wolney said.

Journalist, Adroaldo Portal has a career linked to the PDT, the party that has led the Ministry of Social Security since the start of Lula’s third term. He served for decades in Congress and became chief of staff to Senator Weverton Rocha (PDT-MA), who is also the target of Sem Desconto’s new phase.

“This government does not protect anyone and the proof is that the control bodies, the CGU and the Federal Police, have great freedom to investigate all areas of government in order to find those responsible for the fraud and recover every embezzled cent,” declared the minister.