Operation dismantles fraud scheme in bidding processes for graphic services in Bahia.
A criminal organization involved in bid-rigging in Salvador and other cities in the interior of Bahia was the target of an operation by the State Public Prosecutor's Office on Monday morning; Operation Quali was launched by agents of the Special Action Group to Combat Organized Crime of the Public Prosecutor's Office, together with the Organized Crime Combat Department of the Civil Police; a total of 35 warrants are to be served, including eight temporary arrest warrants, six warrants for coercive questioning, and 21 search and seizure warrants, in Salvador and Lauro de Freitas.
Sayonara Moreno – correspondent for Agência Brasil
A criminal organization involved in bid-rigging in Salvador and cities in the interior of Bahia was the target of an operation by the State Public Prosecutor's Office this morning (28). Operation Quali was launched by agents of the Special Action Group to Combat Organized Crime of the Public Prosecutor's Office (Gaeco), together with the Department for Combating Organized Crime of the Civil Police of Bahia (Draco) and the Special Operations Center, also of the Civil Police of the state.
In total, 35 warrants are to be served, including eight temporary arrest warrants, six warrants for coercive questioning, and 21 search and seizure warrants, in Salvador and Lauro de Freitas, the metropolitan region of the capital of Bahia.
According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the targets of the operation are companies that operate in the graphic printing sector and that formed a cartel to win bids in state and municipal public bodies.
Investigations revealed that the group had been operating for several years in the capital and interior of Bahia, winning bids from various public agencies with inflated prices that exceeded the actual service value by up to 20%. These fraudulent activities resulted in the expenditure of millions of reais – an amount yet to be determined – from public funds.