Nominated by the PTB party for the ministry, Yomura says the relationship was 'institutional'.
The Minister of Labor, Helton Yomura, who was removed from office this Thursday (5) by a decision of the STF minister, said he was surprised by the PF investigation within the scope of Operation Ressonância and that there is no evidence of his alleged involvement in irregularities in the ministry; Yomura, who was appointed to the position by the national president of the PTB, former deputy Roberto Jefferson, and his daughter, deputy Cristiane Brasil (PTB-RJ), said that he only maintained an "institutional" relationship with the party leadership.
247 - The Minister of Labor, Helton Yomura, who was removed from office this Thursday (5) by a decision of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) minister Edson Fachin, said he was surprised by the Federal Police investigation within the scope of Operation Ressonância and that there is no evidence of his alleged involvement in irregularities in the ministry. He also stated that the relationships maintained with the national president of the PTB, former deputy Roberto Jefferson, and his daughter, deputy Cristiane Brasil (PTB-RJ), who are also under investigation, were only of an "institutional" nature. Yomura is a political protégé and was appointed to the position by the former deputy.
"My treatment is institutional," Yomura stated when questioned by the press about his relationship with Roberto Jefferson and his daughter. Yomura's lawyers, César Caputo Guimarães and André Hespanhol, stated in a note that "all legal measures will be taken to enable the Supreme Court panel to rule on this important issue," referring to Fachin's decision.
"Confident that he has not committed any illegal act and that his actions correspond to a policy of valuing workers and institutions, Minister Helton Yomura, even without knowing what acts he is being accused of, vehemently denies any imputation of crime or irregularity," the statement concludes.
Earlier, the Federal Police had reported that the other two phases of Operation Resonance indicated that "important positions within the structure of the Ministry of Labor were filled with individuals committed to the interests of the criminal group, allowing the continuation of illicit activities."