Lemann sponsors lecture by Moro and Carmen Lúcia in the US about Brazilian corruption.

247 - Businessman Jorge Paulo Lemann, the richest man in Brazil, is sponsoring a lecture by federal judge Sérgio Moro, who oversees the Lava Jato Operation cases in the first instance, and the president of the Supreme Federal Court, Minister Cármen Lúcia – whose presence is yet to be confirmed – about Brazilian corruption in the United States.

The event will be held at Columbia University in New York, with the theme "Institutional Building, Governance and Compliance in Brazil: Politics and Business". The congress is promoted, among other entities, by the Lemann Center for Brazilian Studies, founded by businessman Jorge Paulo Lemann.

The press office of the Lemann Foundation contacted 247 to defend the independence and non-partisan nature of the institution's work. Read the full statement:

Dear,

We are writing to clarify points in the articles "Lemann sponsors lecture by Moro and Carmen Lúcia" and "Moro and coup against Dilma are targets of protest in NY", published by Brasil 247 on February 1st and 6th, 2017, respectively, which attribute the choice of Moro and the holding of the lecture to Jorge Paulo Lemann.

To that end, we present the Lemann Foundation, a non-profit, family-run organization founded in 2002 by Jorge Paulo Lemann to develop initiatives in support of public education and create a network of talent dedicated to solving Brazilian social problems. To achieve this goal, the Lemann Foundation develops programs that support millions of public school students throughout Brazil and supports institutions of excellence that work towards a more just and developed country.

The Lemann Center for Brazilian Studies at Columbia University is one of the institutions that receives support from the Lemann Foundation to invest in the training of leaders committed to Brazil and in the development of studies focused on the country's social challenges. The Center has complete autonomy to carry out all its activities, including courses, conferences, lectures, and academic collaborations, without interference from the Lemann Foundation or Jorge Paulo Lemann. The resources that enable its work were donated in perpetuity, and there is no obligation other than to dedicate its efforts to contributing to Brazil's development.

The same autonomy is granted to the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) and the Brazil Studies Program at Harvard University, the Lemann Center for Entrepreneurship and Educational Innovation in Brazil at Stanford University, and the Lemann Institute for Brazilian Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), which are also supported, in different ways, by the Lemann Foundation.

All Brazilian political currents and experts from diverse fields participate in events held by these think tanks. Fernando Haddad, Aloizio Mercadante, Eduardo Jorge, Marina Silva, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, André Lara Resende, Marcelo Freixo, Ciro Gomes, among hundreds of others, are some of the names that have already been present at meetings of these institutions.

A fundamental principle of our work is independence and non-partisanship. We always believe in learning from the best practices in the world and that diversity is an essential value for creating effective policies to overcome our serious challenges.

That being said, we ask that, if possible, you correct both publications based on this brief clarification. We are available to answer any questions about this and other matters.

Best Regards,
Press Office of the Lemann Foundation