The Federal Police in Pernambuco, with the support of the Federal Revenue Service and the Comptroller General of the Union, launched Operation Dilúvio.
Article continues below
The Federal Police in Pernambuco, with the support of the Federal Revenue Service and the Comptroller General of the Union, launched Operation Dilúvio this Tuesday morning May, 23, with the aim of complying with 27 search and seizure warrants issued by the Regional Court of the 5th Region, within the scope of an investigation whose object is the investigation of crimes of corruption, embezzlement of public resources, fraud in bidding processes, money laundering, loan sharking, among others, attributed to public agents, civil servants, businessmen and private individuals .
According to the investigation, the current manager of a municipality located in the South Forest of the State of Pernambuco would have contracted an emergency company to provide corrective and preventive maintenance services for vehicles in the city's fleet, drawing attention to the fact that the company is located more than 110km from the contractor's headquarters, as well as the realization that there were several other companies in the region, operating in the same field.
In this sense, it was verified the existence of signs of close personal relations between the mayor and the real owner of the contracted company.
The company involved was hired by the same City Hall with evidence of fraud in relation to the competitive nature of the bidding process.
To date, the contractual relationship remains in force, despite the obvious signs of overbilling.
In addition, during the execution of the contract, it was proven that the supplier paid expenses with international airline tickets in business class for the mayor and his wife, who holds the position of municipal secretary, which characterizes, in theory, the crime of corruption.
Throughout the investigation, evidence was also collected of the use of various accounts of “oranges”, ghost companies or gas stations to move money diverted from public coffers, and also due to possible practice of loan sharking by the mayor.
140 federal police officers are being employed in this action, in addition to employees of the Federal Revenue Service and the CGU, who are executing 27 search and seizure warrants in the municipalities of Água Preta, Cabo de Santo Agostinho, Catende, Gravatá, Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Palmares, Paulista , Recife and Tamandaré, locations of the suspects' residences.
The maximum estimated penalties for the investigated crimes, added together, can exceed 40 years of imprisonment. ■