The Pay Train project must be completed within 90 days.

The essay - The Federal Police operation in Goiás (PF-GO) that resulted in the arrest, followed by the release, of the former president of the state-owned company Valec Engenharia Construções e Ferrovias SA must be concluded within 90 days. The decision comes from the Federal Regional Court of the 1st Region (TRF1) and was published last Friday (November 8th), ordering the Federal Police and the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office in Goiás (MPF-GO) to conclude the investigations and file charges.

The deadline begins to run from the day the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office is notified of the decision, which has not yet occurred. What is already official is the deadline for the end of the asset freeze of the former president of Valec, José Francisco das Neves, known as Juquinha, and his family members: 90 days.

The defense argues that too much time has passed between the court order to freeze assets and the conclusion of the investigations. The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office, however, maintains that the duration of precautionary measures varies according to the specific characteristics of each case and that the timeframe can be extended given the inherent complexity of the investigations.

Prison

Juquinha, who headed Valec between 2003 and 2010, was arrested in July 2012 accused of rigging bids for the North-South Railway, where overbilling of R$ 47 million is estimated in section 4 alone. His wife, Marivone, and their children, Jader and Karen, were arrested along with the businessman. A third son of Juquinha, Jales Ferreira das Neves, was taken to the Federal Police headquarters under coercive measures to provide clarification.

The family was arrested at their home in the Alphaville condominium in Goiânia. In addition to Juquinha's family, five other people were taken to the Federal Police: Vilmondes Gonzaga, Mauro de Souza, Aurelino Ivo Dias, Maria Emília da Costa Lamar, and Marineide Pereira da Silva.

Juquinha had a series of assets seized and frozen. Among them were three farms in the municipality of Mundo Novo, valued at over R$ 11,5 million, a farm in Senador Canedo worth R$ 4,5 million, a plot of land in Campinas/SP worth R$ 222.416,00, and three properties located in the Alphaville Flamboyant Condominium, with a cumulative estimated value of R$ 1,290 million. As explained by delegate Eduardo Tales Scherer, in addition to the businessman and his family members, the bank accounts of Kamila Santos Sokolowskei and the companies USI Participações Ltda., SPE Palace Empreendimentos Imobiliários Ltda., and Mundi Desenvolvimento Imobiliário Ltda. were also blocked.

Looseness

Three days after the former president's arrest, the Third Panel of the Federal Regional Court of the 1st Region (TRF1) annulled the evidence that resulted in Juquinha's arrest and, in a ruling by the reporting judge Tourinho Neto, granted habeas corpus declaring all telephone interceptions contained in the case files null and void.

The habeas corpus granted by the TRF also included Marivone Ferreira das Neves and Jader Ferreira das Neves, Juquinha's wife and son.

The TRF's decision caused outrage in the coordinator of the Anti-Corruption Unit of the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office of Goiás, Hélio Telho. On the microblog Twitter, the public prosecutor vented: "Another one from Tourinho Neto. How long it takes for his retirement date to arrive."

Investigations

The action stems from investigations into Valec, initiated in August 2011 at the request of the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office of Maranhão (MPF/MA). At that time, the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) conducted a review of the bidding process for the North-South Railway and found evidence of overpricing amounting to around R$ 90 million.

During the investigation, the police suspected money laundering, as the businessman's income was not compatible with the assets declared in his name, totaling R$ 18 million. The investigation revealed that Juquinha, and especially his wife and three children, had acquired a vast real estate portfolio, including farms, properties, plots of land, and houses in gated communities. Furthermore, according to the investigation, they had established companies to manage and exploit all these assets, demonstrating an incompatibility with their status as public employees. Although not yet appraised, it is estimated that the seized assets exceed R$ 60 million.

Investigations indicate that Juquinha had been buying properties since 2003 and registering them in the names of companies whose partners were close associates or relatives. According to the Federal Police, the agency intends to "economically suffocate the criminal organization and promote the recovery of damages to public assets," identifying, locating, and seizing as many assets obtained through illicit means as possible. The public prosecutor, Hélio Telho, explained at the time that there was a possibility that the courts would decide on the forfeiture of assets linked to Juquinha, which, in that case, could be incorporated into the public patrimony.

Application

An aggravating factor in Juquinha's case was the declaration he made in 1998 when he ran for federal deputy. The former president of Valec declared to the Electoral Court that his assets did not reach the value of R$ 560. The possibility now raised by the Federal Police is that Juquinha was using his wife and children as "fronts" in order to hide his assets. According to Hélio Telho, the suspicion was later confirmed by data from the Council for the Control of Financial Activities (Coaf). (Michelle Rabelo)