Valadares: the challenge is to uncover the extent of the damage caused by corruption.
The municipality of Governador Valadares, in the Rio Doce region, faces the challenge of uncovering the full extent of the financial damage caused by a gang of businessmen and politicians who joined forces in a complex corruption scheme that has been depleting the municipality's coffers. The Federal Police's "Sea of Mud" operation, conducted jointly by the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office and the former Comptroller General's Office, has entered its third month, successfully halting a R$ 1,6 billion fraud in the landfill construction project and the garbage collection contract. The operation is moving towards its fifth phase; 19 people have been arrested and 30 public servants have been suspended. Among those involved are 12 of Valadares' 21 city councilors, 11 of whom are currently prohibited from holding office.
Mines 247 - With a population of just over 245, the municipality of Governador Valadares, in the Rio Doce region, faces the challenge of uncovering the full extent of the damage caused by the gang of businessmen and politicians who joined forces in a complex corruption scheme that has been draining the municipality's coffers. The Federal Police's "Sea of Mud" operation, carried out jointly by the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF) and the former Comptroller General of the Union (CGU), now incorporated into the Ministry of Transparency, has entered its third month, successfully halting a R$ 1,6 billion fraud in the landfill construction project and the garbage collection contract.
The operation is moving into its fifth phase. There are 19 people arrested and 30 public servants suspended. Among those involved are 12 of the 21 councilors of Valadares, currently 11 of them are prohibited from exercising their mandate. Businessmen and the owner of a notary office are also on the list of those under investigation. In custody, they await the judicial decision on the complaint filed last Thursday (9) by the Public Prosecutor's Office. In total, 36 people are the target of the investigation.
The gang rigged public tenders and bidding processes to favor private companies. At the head of the group was the general director of the Autonomous Water and Sewage Service (SAAE), Omir Quintino, who has been in custody since April 11th. Identified as the leader of the scheme, Quintino used his influence over other public bodies to spread the embezzlement scheme within the city hall.
"He (Quintino) was the leader of the group, the one who effectively organized the transfer of money between companies interested in rigging bids and city councilors and other public officials who facilitated this scheme," said Federal Police delegate Cristiano Campidelli in an interview with the newspaper O Tempo (see here), which also published the account of the Federal Public Prosecutor Felipe Valente Siman. "Since he (Quintino) enjoyed the trust of Mayor Elisa Costa (PT), he had a kind of 'carte blanche' and used this to infiltrate the municipal secretariats."