Brazilian Federal Police connect Alckmin's right-hand man to contractor.
An operation launched this week by the Federal Police and the Public Prosecutor's Office not only revealed fraud in bidding processes at municipalities in the interior of São Paulo state, but also uncovered a connection between the businessman and the current Chief of Staff of Geraldo Alckmin's government, Edson Aparecido; Olívio Scamatti, identified as the head of the scheme, maintained telephone contact with Aparecido in 2010 and donated R$ 91,6 to the politician's campaign in 2006.
247 – The close relationship between businessman Olívio Scamatti and Edson Aparecido, Chief of Staff of the Geraldo Alckmin (PSDB) government, was revealed this week by the Federal Police's Operation Fratelli. According to the investigations, fraud occurred in bidding processes in at least 78 municipalities in the interior of São Paulo state.
Wiretaps from 2010 caught Aparecido, then a federal deputy for Alckmin's party, making "requests" to the businessman. One of these calls allegedly aimed to help his ally José Jacinto Alves Filho, then mayor of Auriflama, who needed to show the Public Prosecutor's Office what measures were being taken.
For this to happen, Scamatti needed to send some asphalt paving machines so that they could be photographed by the prosecutors. "If a lawsuit is filed, the entire region will be contaminated," said Aparecido.
According to the Federal Police, the Chief of Staff of the PSDB (Brazilian Social Democracy Party) government was not the target of the operation, but was intercepted for maintaining contact with the contractor. The police also discovered that Demop made donations to Aparecido's campaign in the amount of R$ 91,6 back in 2006.
Investigations by the Federal Police and the Public Prosecutor's Office also led to the name of Osvaldo Ferreira Filho, known as Osvaldinho, an advisor who worked with Aparecido for eight years. He even represented the then state deputy at political meetings in the early 2000s. He is one of the 13 people arrested in São José do Rio Preto.
The businessman was also arrested and is accused of leading the corruption and embezzlement scheme involving public funds.
According to the Chief of Staff of Geraldo Alckmin's government, the contractor "never requested anything that would indicate any irregularity," but he acknowledged, in an interview with the Estado de São Paulo newspaper, that he maintained close contact with Scamatti. Edson Aparecido also stated that the donations to his campaign "were registered," and he affirms that he trusts in the "innocence" of his former advisor.