Gilmar orders Paulo Preto to be released again.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Gilmar Mendes has just ordered the release of former Dersa director Paulo Vieira de Souza, known as Paulo Preto, who is accused of collecting bribes for PSDB (Brazilian Social Democracy Party) campaigns in São Paulo. The PSDB operative had been arrested this morning to "ensure the proper conduct of the criminal investigation" in the case where he is accused of embezzling R$ 7,7 million from Dersa between 2009 and 2011, during the governments of José Serra and Geraldo Alckmin. He had been arrested on April 6th but released about a month later by Gilmar Mendes.
247 - Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Gilmar Mendes ordered the release of former Dersa (a company responsible for roadworks in São Paulo state) director Paulo Vieira de Souza, known as Paulo Preto, early Wednesday evening, the 30th.
Accused of being an operator of bribes and illicit contributions to the PSDB party during José Serra's government (2007-2010), Paulo Preto had been arrested this morning, accused of violating court orders. The court decision ordering Souza's arrest stated that his return to prison was necessary to "ensure the criminal investigation" of the case in which he is accused of embezzling R$ 7,7 million from Dersa between 2009 and 2011 (during the governments of José Serra and Geraldo Alckmin).
The arrest was ordered by Judge Maria Isabel do Prado of the 5th Federal Criminal Court of São Paulo.
He had been arrested on April 6th, but released about a month later, after Minister Gilmar Mendes. Documents sent to prosecutors by Swiss authorities showed that Paulo Preto still had four accounts at the Swiss bank Bordier & Cie. The combined balance, in June 2016, was equivalent to R$ 113 million. In February of last year, according to information from Switzerland, the funds were transferred to a bank in Nassau, Bahamas.