A waterfall is not a "time bomb".
Sources close to the racketeer say he will spare his allies when called to testify, especially Demstenes; phone recordings show that the senator has already been the target of protection.
247 – Anyone expecting a real firestorm during Carlinhos Cachoeira's testimony before Congress may be disappointed. The racketeer is not ruling out attempting to appeal to the courts for his right to remain silent during his testimony. All to protect his allies, especially Demóstenes Torres. This wouldn't be the first time this has happened to the senator. In recordings, Cachoeira and Dadá devise a scheme to protect Demóstenes from a suspicion raised by the former governor of the Federal District, José Roberto Arruda.
Read more in the Folha article:
Carlos Augusto de Almeida Ramos, nicknamed Carlinhos Cachoeira, the central figure in the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry that bears his nickname, has signaled to trusted associates that he is unwilling to make accusations against his allies in Congress when called to testify.
According to Folha's investigation, the businessman, imprisoned for almost two months on suspicion of illegal gambling and corruption, is primarily willing to spare Senator Demóstenes Torres (formerly of the DEM party), who is suspected of acting in Congress in favor of Cachoeira's interests. The Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) is expected to be established this week.
The businessman shows no signs of adding fuel to the scandal. According to sources, he remains calm, despite the suspicions published in recent weeks, and is not a "time bomb."
Cachoeira's circle of contacts does not rule out attempting to appeal to the courts for his right to remain silent in his testimony, using the argument that he is not obligated to produce evidence against himself.
This potential protection of the senator by the businessman, if confirmed, is corroborated by telephone recordings intercepted by the Federal Police during Operation Monte Carlo and obtained by Folha.
In the phone calls, Cachoeira appears to be acting to protect Demóstenes from a suspicion raised by the former governor of the Federal District, José Roberto Arruda (former DEM), in an interview with "Veja" in March 2011.
Arruda said that, when he was in government, Demóstenes asked him to hire a company. At the time, the senator denied having made the request.
Three weeks later, Cachoeira called his assistant, Air Force Third Sergeant Idalberto Matias de Araújo, nicknamed Dadá, to ask him to contact a civil police officer in the Federal District who had contacts with Arruda and deliver an urgent message: "Go to Arruda and make him deny what our friend said. [...] Deny what he said, understand?"
Dadá inquired if he was referring to "Gordinho," the nickname he gives to Demóstenes, and Cachoeira confirmed that Demóstenes was beside him at that moment.
"Tell him [Arruda] that he [Demóstenes] is pissed at him for telling that lie. He'll hit him in public if he sees him, you hear?"
Days later, Dadá told Cachoeira that he had met with a contact who promised to go to Arruda's house and deliver the message. The phone calls intercepted by the Federal Police do not make it clear whether Arruda received the request. Attempts to contact the former governor yesterday were unsuccessful.