The government may continue to investigate rumors about the Bolsa Família program.
According to the Minister of Justice, José Eduardo Cardozo, even with the conclusion of investigations that did not identify those responsible for the rumors announcing the end of the program, the government does not rule out the possibility of the Federal Police continuing the investigation; "Any information that complements the investigations, the Federal Police, regardless of my actions, will act and reach the results."
Carolina Gonçalves
Reporter from Agência Brasil
Brasilia – Even with the conclusion of investigations that did not identify those responsible for the rumors announcing the end of the Bolsa Família Program, the government does not rule out the possibility of the Federal Police (PF) continuing to investigate new evidence that may emerge. During a hearing in the Senate, the Minister of Justice, José Eduardo Cardozo, praised the work of the PF and stressed that there was no government instruction for the investigation.
"[The Federal Police] did a serious and competent job. Hundreds of people were interviewed who pointed out different situations," he said, noting that the investigation will be analyzed by the Justice system and the Public Prosecutor's Office. "Any information that complements the investigations, the Federal Police, regardless of my actions, will act and arrive at the results," Cardozo added.
He said that the situation of a Minister of Justice is always "uncomfortable" in these investigations. According to him, if the inquiry points to allies as guilty, the minister has no control, and when it points to opposition authorities, the minister is accused of directing the investigations. "I would never do that, and even if I wanted to, I couldn't. The Federal Police has always been a republican police force, a state force, not a government force," he emphasized.
Rumors about the end of the program led more than 900 beneficiaries to Caixa Econômica Federal branches in May of this year to withdraw their funds. Investigations into the source of the rumors followed several lines of inquiry, including one aimed at identifying a telemarketing company that was allegedly responsible for the initial dissemination of the false news.
Federal Police agents concluded that the rumors originated spontaneously and that it is impossible to identify anyone responsible for what happened.
Senator Álvaro Dias (PSDB-PR) recalled that the minister ordered the inquiry as soon as the government identified the problem, but criticized the investigation's results. "[President] Dilma [Rousseff] was categorical when she stated that it was a crime. She was emphatic. There was a crime, but there are no criminals. We are getting used to these kinds of events in Brazil in recent years. Will other measures be taken?", he questioned. According to the parliamentarian, the matter is not closed.
Edited by: Marcos Chagas