CPI ignores sharks to only catch small fish.

247 – Those who bet that the Cachoeira CPI (Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry) does not actually intend to investigate all of the racketeer's connections with the political world, but only some, were closer to being right this Thursday, the 17th. After an intense argument this morning during the session, the parliamentarians who intended to summon prominent figures mentioned in the Operation Monte Carlo inquiry were left talking to themselves. With the support of the PT (Workers' Party) caucus, rapporteur Odair Cunha (PT-MG) set aside requests to summon governors Marconi Perillo (PSDB-GO), Sergio Cabral (PMDB-RJ), and Agnelo Queiroz (PT-DF), as well as the request demanding the presence of businessman Fernando Cavendish, owner of Delta Construções. Despite Senator Fernando Collor's (PTB-AL) attempts to request from the Congressional records the content of journalist Policarpo Junior's testimony to the Bingo CPI in 2006, in which he defended the racketeer Carlinhos Cachoeira, even that was unsuccessful. Cunha simply archived the request. On the other hand, none of the parliamentarians who were wiretapped or are mentioned in the wiretaps carried out by Operation Monte Carlo, of the Federal Police, were called to testify. A new meeting of the CPI was only scheduled for June 5th, in another visible maneuver to cool tempers.

Senator Álvaro Dias (PSDB-PR) saw in the series of maneuvers the rapporteur's intention to work by "selecting targets." As it stands, the CPI will be occupied in its next meetings hearing from peripheral figures in the political scandal. Even the presence of the racketeer Carlinhos Cachoeira is not certain. He managed to block the first attempt to summon him in court, alleging a lack of official information about the content of the accusations against him. The Attorney General of the Republic, Roberto Gurgel, also had his interests met. He will only have to answer a written questionnaire, instead of, as expected, personally explaining why it took almost three years to open a formal investigation against Senator Demóstenes Torres, investigated by Operation Vegas.

Through the coordinated action of rapporteur Cunha and president Vital do Rêgo (PMDB-PB), firmly supported by the PT members in the CPI, the planned hunt for big sharks is turning into a delicate collection of ornamental fish, represented by the 51 summoned to testify.

Below is a news article from Agência Brasil about the day of the Cachoeira Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry:

Luciana Lima
Reporter from Agência Brasil

Brasilia – The Joint Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (CPMI) on Cachoeira failed to vote today (17) on requests to break the secrecy of the parent company Delta Construções and to summon its former director, Fernando Cavendish. The requests, by decision of the rapporteur, Odair Cunha (PT-MG), were removed from the agenda for later voting.

During the meeting, the rapporteur stated that he had not yet identified any evidence of the Delta company's involvement with the alleged criminal organization led by the businessman from Goiás, Carlos Augusto de Almeida Ramos, known as Carlinhos Cachoeira. The rapporteur also said that these requests could be considered in the future.

"There is clear evidence that this company, Delta, under the leadership of Mr. Cláudio Abreu, served the criminal organization. In my opinion, there is not yet sufficient evidence to break confidentiality, beyond its branches in the Midwest," said the rapporteur, justifying his decision not to put the requests to a vote.

Senator Randolfe Rodrigues (PSOL-AP) tried to overturn the removal of the requests from the agenda, but was defeated by the plenary of the CPMI, which approved the rapporteur's decision. "It's a bad start if we approve this postponement," he assessed.

In addition to the decision not to investigate the national Delta operation yet, the rapporteur also chose not to put to a vote the summons of three governors: Marconi Perrillo (PSDB) of Goiás, Sérgio Cabral (PMDB) of Rio de Janeiro, and Agnelo Queiroz (PT) of the Federal District. According to the chairman of the committee, Senator Vital do Rêgo (PMDB-PB), these requests may return to the committee's agenda on June 5, the date scheduled for the next administrative meeting.

At today's meeting, the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPMI) approved the summoning of 51 people to testify and broke more than 40 bank secrecy agreements of individuals and companies suspected of acting as fronts in the alleged organization led by Carlinhos Cachoeira. Among the broken secrecy agreements are those of the Delta company's branches in the states of the Central-West Region.

The rapporteur's decision, which received the support of PT deputies, provoked much discussion. Deputy Cândido Vaccarezza (PT-SP) called the movement to break the company's confidentiality an "intrusion." "This is being done by people who want to politicize our investigation," he said.

The PT leader in the Chamber of Deputies, Congressman Paulo Teixeira (SP), also defended restricting the investigation of Delta's activities to the Central-West Region. "He who embraces too much, holds little," said the congressman, arguing that the commission should seek a focus.

Senator Pedro Taques (PDT-MT) challenged the rapporteur's understanding that there is no evidence of the involvement of the company Delta Construções in the scheme investigated by the Federal Police (PF). He cited a dialogue intercepted by the PF in which Cachoeira talks with the former director of Delta in the Midwest, Cláudio Abreu.

In the conversation, Abreu and Cachoeira were arranging a meeting between Senator Demóstenes Torres (independent-GO) and the licensed executive director of Delta's national airline, Carlos Pacheco. "He said that Pacheco needed to participate in a conversation with Demóstenes. He said that a plane would come to pick up Demóstenes for a meeting with Pacheco, who is the national executive director of Delta, which is headquartered in the Southeast Region," Taques reported.

The senator urged the rapporteur to put the request to a vote. "Ethics and crime do not respect geography. Crime does not occur only in one region. There is no justification for lifting the secrecy of the Delta investigation only in the Midwest. There is no question of reducing the scope of the investigation, but rather of universalizing it. This is not about an intrusion," the senator argued.

The leader of the PSDB in the Senate, Álvaro Dias (PR), said that by not putting to a vote the request to break the confidentiality of Delta's parent company, the rapporteur would be "selecting targets." "The investigation reveals the transfer of R$ 39 million to shell companies belonging to Mr. Cachoeira. There is a recording of Mr. Cachoeira saying 'I am Delta.' The investigation contains information that Cachoeira had an office at Delta. There is a supposition, including within the Public Prosecutor's Office, that Cachoeira is a silent partner in Delta or the major lobbyist who acted to secure interests at the municipal, state, and federal levels," the senator stated.