Pagot challenges CPI: wants to tell everything he knows.

Agency Brazil - Former Director-General of the National Department of Transport Infrastructure (Dnit) Luiz Antonio Pagot said today (8) that he is "available" to the Joint Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (CPMI) on Cachoeira to testify. There are at least nine requests for his summons that have not yet been considered by the CPMI plenary. Some deputies and senators want these requests to be put on the agenda at the next administrative meeting of the commission, scheduled for Thursday (14).

"I am in the countryside, but I am fully available to the CPMI to give testimony," Pagot said in a telephone interview with Agência Brasil. He avoided talking about who might have an interest in preventing his testimony. "I don't want to talk about that. I just want to say that I am entirely available to the CPMI to provide clarifications."

In the opinion of Senator Randolfe Rodrigues (PSOL-AP), Pagot has much to contribute to the commission. "He should speak immediately; he can give details about the relationships that exist behind the scenes between construction companies and state governments," the senator emphasized. "We are wasting so much time with those who don't want to talk. Why not listen to those who do?" he questioned.

Pagot's testimony became urgently considered by some members of the commission after he denounced the use of public funds to create slush funds for electoral campaigns in São Paulo. The denunciation was made in an interview with IstoÉ magazine, in which he referred to an alleged scheme to divert funds from the Rodoanel highway project to the campaigns of José Serra for President and Geraldo Alckmin for governor of São Paulo in 2010. Pagot also said, in an interview with Época magazine, that he went against the interests of businessman Carlos Augusto Ramos, known as Carlinhos Cachoeira, who is imprisoned in Brasília, and the Delta Construction Company when he was head of the DNIT (National Department of Transport Infrastructure).

Pagot was removed from his position as director-general of DNIT following a series of corruption allegations within the agency, which also led to the dismissal of then-Minister of Transport Alfredo Nascimento (PR-AM) and triggered a political crisis between the PR party and President Dilma Rousseff. Alfredo Nascimento resumed his position as senator after leaving the Esplanade of Ministries.

Senator Randolfe Rodrigues criticized the position of rapporteur Odair Cunha (PT-MG) for not scheduling the summons requests. "Everything that has an interface with Delta has been suspended. These summons requests are part of a set of other requests that are not being put up for consideration. I have no way of evaluating it other than as an intention to shield Delta," said the senator.

The PSDB leader in the Senate, Álvaro Dias (PR), is also in favor of Pagot's appearance before the CPMI. He highlighted that, on the commission's first day of work, he presented a request for priority voting and urged the president, Senator Vital do Rêgo (PMDB-PB), to consider the text. According to him, the president committed to putting the request up for analysis at the next meeting. "I didn't just ask for Pagot to come as a witness, but also for the former president of Delta, Fernando Cavendish," added Álvaro Dias.

Congressman Cândido Vaccarezza (PT-SP) said that next Monday (11) the PT caucus in the Chamber will meet to deliberate on this matter and others related to the CPMI. "If the rapporteur is in favor, I will be too," said Vaccarezza. "In principle I think we shouldn't call him, because it would deviate from the focus of the CPMI. But, if he wants to appear to clarify something, he has every right," he added.

Agência Brasil attempted to contact the rapporteur of the Joint Parliamentary Inquiry Commission, Deputy Odair Cunha, and its president, Vital do Rêgo, by telephone; however, no response has yet been received.