Alckmin's government leadership falls victim to the bribery scheme.
Former Siemens director Everton Rheinheimer formally denounces to the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) a major corruption scheme in the PSDB governments in São Paulo; according to him, Edson Aparecido, right-hand man of Governor Geraldo Alckmin and current Secretary of the Civil House, received bribes from multinational companies between 1998 and 2008; the bribery pipeline in the transportation sector, according to Rheinheimer, aimed to supply the slush funds of the PSDB and DEM parties; he also pointed to corruption in the governments of José Serra and Mario Covas; other names mentioned are those of secretaries José Aníbal (Energy), Jurandir Fernandes (Transportation), Rodrigo Garcia (Economic Development), and even Senator Aloysio Nunes and Representative Arnaldo Jardim; complete strike?
SP 247 - It's almost a strike. A report delivered on April 17th of this year to the Administrative Council for Economic Defense cites practically the entire top leadership of Geraldo Alckmin's government in the so-called "Tucano bribery scheme". The formal accusation was made by Everton Rheinheimer, former director of Siemens, who stated that he possessed "documents that prove the existence of a strong corruption scheme in the State of São Paulo during the governments of (Mário) Covas, (Geraldo) Alckmin and (José) Serra, and whose main objective was to supply the slush funds of the PSDB and DEM parties".
The scoop, by journalists Fernando Gallo, Ricardo Chapola and Fausto Macedo, from Estado de S. Paulo (read hereThe document indicates that lobbyist Arthur Teixeira, accused of money laundering in Switzerland, allegedly paid bribes to Congressman Edson Aparecido, currently the Chief of Staff and right-hand man of Geraldo Alckmin. The document also mentions other prominent figures in the São Paulo branch of the PSDB party, such as Secretaries José Aníbal (Energy), Jurandir Fernandes (Transportation), and Rodrigo Garcia (Economic Development). Other names mentioned by the former Siemens director include Senator Aloysio Nunes Ferreira (PSDB-SP) and Congressman Arnaldo Jardim (PPS-SP) – the latter also as a beneficiary of the bribes.
The testimony of the former Siemens director carries significant weight because it is the first official document to come to light referencing bribes paid to politicians linked to the PSDB (Brazilian Social Democracy Party) governments. Until now, only former directors of state-owned companies such as the Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos (CPTM) had been mentioned. Rheinheimer was the director of Siemens' transportation division, where he worked for 22 years. He also stated that the cartel "is a large-scale corruption scheme because it involves the largest multinational companies in the railway sector, such as Alstom, Bombardier, Siemens, and Caterpillar, as well as the governments of the State of São Paulo and the Federal District."
In the Federal District, the irregularities allegedly occurred during the governments of Joaquim Roriz and José Roberto Arruda. In São Paulo, he cites the governments of Geraldo Alckmin, José Serra, and Mario Covas. The flow of bribes occurred through the company Procint, belonging to lobbyist Arthur Teixeira, who was finally indicted in Switzerland after two years of the case being shelved by the Attorney General's Office in São Paulo, by decision of prosecutor Rodrigo de Grandis (read more). here). Rheinheimer is cooperating with the Justice system under a plea bargain agreement. Regarding Edson Aparecido and Reynaldo Jardim, he maintains that "their names were mentioned by the CEO of Procint, Arthur Teixeira, as being the recipients of part of the commission paid by the systems companies (Alstom, Bombardier, Siemens, CAF, MGE, T'Trans, Temoinsa and Tejofran) to Procint".
Regarding Senator Aloysio Nunes and Secretaries Jurandir Fernandes and Rodrigo Garcia, the former Siemens director says he had "the opportunity to witness the close relationship between the CEO of Procint, Arthur Teixeira, and these politicians." Regarding José Aníbal, he mentioned an advisor: "He dealt directly with his advisor, the vice-mayor of Mairiporã, Silvio Ranciaro."