Petrobras case: Chamber approves invitation to lobbyist.
The Chamber of Deputies' Mines and Energy Committee approved an invitation for those accused of operating an alleged bribery scheme in Petrobras contracts involving the PMDB party to explain themselves; the request was made by the PMDB's deputy leader, Lúcio Vieira Lima; lobbyist and former director of BR Distribuidora, Jorge Augusto Henrique, and the former director of the state-owned company's International Area, Jorge Zelada, will be heard in a public hearing; "The legislation only mandates summons for ministers. But if someone is invited and doesn't appear, it's already a bad sign, as it signals that they don't want to provide explanations," says Lúcio.
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The Mines and Energy Committee of the Chamber of Deputies approved on Wednesday an invitation for those accused of operating an alleged bribery scheme in Petrobras contracts involving the PMDB party, with funds that were supposedly used even in the presidential campaign of then-candidate Dilma Rousseff in 2010, to explain themselves. The allegations were made by Época magazine over the weekend.
The request was submitted by the deputy leader of the PMDB in the Chamber of Deputies, Congressman Lúcio Vieira Lima, and unanimously approved by the members of the committee. Lobbyist and former director of BR Distribuidora, Jorge Augusto Henrique (accused of being the leader of the scheme), and the former director of Petrobras' International Area, Jorge Zelada, will be heard in a public hearing.
"The Commission will now send the invitation to both of them. I will try to find out tomorrow (Thursday, the 15th) when the invitation will be sent and for what date. The legislation only requires summons for ministers. But if someone is invited and does not attend, that is already a bad sign, as it signals that they are someone who does not want to provide clarifications," said Lúcio.
According to the PMDB member, the decision by the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office and the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) to investigate the alleged scheme puts the two accused against the wall. "If you have nothing to fear, you attend the hearing. But this (investigation) is already a bad sign."
Lúcio Vieira Lima did not comment further on the position taken by the Speaker of the House and his party colleague Henrique Eduardo Alves to install yet another CPI yesterday, bringing the total to five (the maximum number of commissions allowed to operate simultaneously), which, according to the rules, makes it almost impossible to install the Petrobras CPI now. However, he stated that there are deputies "who advocate voting on a draft resolution" that could allow for a sixth simultaneous commission.