The sickle, the hammer, and the safe of the PCdoB in Sports
NGOs linked to the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB), of the Minister of Sports, Orlando Silva, are the two beneficiaries of the Second Time program budget. At least R$ 50 million were allocated to organizations linked to the party.
Evam Sena_247, in Brasília – NGOs linked to the PCdoB, the party of the investigated minister Orlando Silva, are frequent beneficiaries of funds from the Segundo Tempo program, the flagship program of the Ministry of Sports. At least R$ 50 million were allocated to organizations linked to the party that has been in charge of the ministry for the last six years.
Orlando Silva is accused by police officer João Dias Ferreira, a former member of the PCdoB party and president of two NGOs that had contracts with the ministry, of leading a corruption scheme involving the collection of bribes from institutions that received funds from the program. Together, the João Dias Kung Fu Association and the Brasiliense King Fu Federation, both headed by João Dias, received R$ 2,7 million in grants between 2005 and 2011.
According to Dias, the scheme has existed since the administration of Agnelo Queiroz, the current governor of the Federal District, when Orlando was executive secretary, and has embezzled approximately R$ 40 million over the last eight years. Orlando is also accused of personally receiving money in the ministry's garage. The minister denies this.
A survey by the NGO Contas Abertas shows that the Institute of Environmental Culture (ICA), which received R$ 5,5 million from the Ministry of Sport between 2006 and 2011, has as its first treasurer Pedro Paulo Ribeiro, a member of the PCdoB (Communist Party of Brazil) since December 15, 1995. The contract is scheduled to end on December 3, 2011. Half of the amount has already been disbursed to the ICA's account.
The Instituto Contato is another example of an institution linked to the PCdoB (Communist Party of Brazil) that receives funding through the Segundo Tempo program. Between 2007 and 2011, the institution, which is headed by Rui de Oliveira, a member of the PCdoB since October 1990, received more than R$ 20 million from the program. Although the relationship between this NGO and the PCdoB has already been raised by the press, Instituto Contato was the fourth largest beneficiary of the program in 2011, with R$ 3,1 million.
The NGO Pra Frente Brasil, created in 2003 by former basketball player and city councilwoman since 2008 for the PCdoB in Jaguariúna (SP), Karina Valéria Rodrigues, received R$ 28 million in the last six years, according to a report on Fantástico last Sunday. It was the entity that received the most money from the Segundo Tempo program. The NGO is suspected of subcontracting shell companies for the supply of snacks and sports equipment.
Former player Karina stated that the hirings were done legally and denied that the companies are shell companies. ICA and Instituto Contato did not respond to requests for comment.
The Minister of Sports, Orlando Silva, stated in a press conference yesterday that the "Segundo Tempo" program will no longer have agreements with NGOs starting next year. According to him, there are currently only 11 entities with such agreements with the ministry; the contracts will expire by the middle of next year and will not be renewed.