Operation Overseers arrests 28 people in Alagoas.
The Federal Revenue Service today (19) launched Operation Suseranos to combat a criminal organization suspected of diverting funds destined for education. The operation is carried out in conjunction with the Federal Police and the Comptroller General of the Union.
From Agência Brasil - Brasilia According to the Federal Revenue Service, the investigated group operates through the splitting, manipulation, and improper waiver of bidding processes and contracts, the creation of shell companies or companies using straw men, as well as through corporate ties between the accountant, suppliers, and employees of the Coruripe city hall, in the interior of Alagoas. In addition to Coruripe, the operations are occurring simultaneously in Pilar and Maceió.
The tax authority also reported that, among the crimes investigated, there are indications of bid rigging, corruption, tax evasion, and money laundering. Twenty-eight coercive detentions and 34 search and seizure warrants were carried out at residences, companies belonging to the investigated group, and public offices.
It is estimated that the losses to public coffers in the years 2011 and 2012 alone exceed R$ 13 million.
The tax authorities say that the choice of the name "Suseranos" (Lords) for the operation refers to the socioeconomic system that existed in the Middle Ages between lords and vassals, in which both parties obtained advantages.