Waterfall hits first person from Pernambuco.
A Federal Police investigation points to a transfer of R$ 20 from Negocial Fomento Mercantil to federal deputy Augusto Coutinho (DEM) during the 2010 election campaign; the company allegedly received R$ 520 from MZ Construções, linked to the illegal gambling operator Carlinhos Cachoeira.
Raphael Coutinho _PE247 – The first person from Pernambuco with any kind of connection to the illegal gambling businessman Carlinhos Cachoeira has emerged. Federal deputy Augusto Coutinho (DEM) is cited in an article in this week's IstoÉ magazine as the beneficiary of a R$ 20 donation from the company Negocial Fomento Mercantil to his campaign. In total, R$ 520 was transferred from MZ Construções, linked to Cachoeira, to Negocial. The information was obtained through Operation Monte Carlo, by the Federal Police.
Coutinho defended himself against the accusations and stated that he has no connection whatsoever with Carlinhos Cachoeira. In an interview with Jamildo's Blog, from the Jornal do Commercio Communication System, the congressman said that Negocial Fomento Mercantil belongs to a friend and that he doesn't know if it's involved in the scheme. "I don't know anyone from Cachoeira's group. The company that contributed to my campaign belongs to a friend of mine. He wanted to help me. If it's involved in the scheme, I have no idea," he revealed.
The congressman also stated that he will investigate whether the company that helped him in the campaign is involved in any way with Carlinhos Cachoeira's scheme.