PSOL denounces 'fake news' from the right: it did not sign the CPI to block Lava Jato.

247 - In a statement, federal deputies from the PSOL party denounce a "fake news" campaign by the far right, which this week is attempting to undermine the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) aimed at investigating the market for plea bargains, and clarify that they signed the request for a CPI that "aims to investigate the possibility of manipulation of plea bargains," and not "to stop Lava Jato."

On Monday and Tuesday, the website O Antagonista, along with pages like Vem Pra Rua and Movimento Brasil Livre (MBL), attempted to promote the idea that the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry targeting plea bargains aims to "stop Lava Jato." These pages published lists with the names of all the deputies who signed the request to create the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry.

Under pressure, some deputies tried to withdraw their names from the request to create the CPI (Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry), which is against the Chamber's regulations, since the request had already been filed. Read below the full text of the PSOL statement, signed by deputies Chico Alencar, Edmilson Rodrigues, Glauber Braga, Jean Wyllys, and Luiza Erundina.

Fake News: PSOL did not sign the CPI to block Lava Jato.
June 19, 2018

Regarding the publication "The deputies who support the CPI to kill Lava Jato" (Diego Amorim, O Antagonista, 06/18/18), we clarify that PSOL did not make any agreement to "kill Lava Jato". This accusation is false and slanderous.

We signed the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) proposed by Congressman Wadih Damous, former president of the OAB/RJ (Brazilian Bar Association of Rio de Janeiro), who approached us in plenary session to investigate "the possibility of manipulation of plea bargains," based on accusations from money launderers Vinicius Claret and Claudio Souza. As the press reported, in their testimony to the Public Prosecutor's Office, they accused lawyer Antônio Figueiredo Bastos of receiving monthly payments to ensure selective results in the plea bargains. This CPI aims precisely at this: the need to investigate the possibility of manipulation of plea bargains, the indication of fraud in the procedures, and the accusation of involvement by public officials.

We always sign, in fact, every request for an investigation into facts that we consider relevant, regardless of who might be affected. We have no "strings attached" to anyone! Our track record in Parliament proves it. There are 12 requests for a Parliamentary Inquiry Commission before this one (almost all with our endorsement, including two initiated by PSOL deputies) and the Chamber can only establish five at a time.

We did not sign any request to submit to the plenary the installation of this [parliamentary commission of inquiry], concurrently with five others – the only way it could be installed now (which is very unlikely). Signing a request for a CPI cannot be understood (maliciously?) as alignment with the parties of those under investigation and defendants, nor as a union against Lava Jato – in which we recognize many merits and also partialities.

We would be the first to consider such an "alliance," with its petty and nebulous objectives, strange and repudiate it. PSOL is committed to public ethics and does not engage in backroom deals or incoherent alliances. We are not the ones with ties to those investigated and accused in Lava Jato, nor did we elect them to leadership positions in the Chamber of Deputies or bring them into the Temer government.

Lies have short legs.

Chico Alencar
Edmilson Rodrigues
Glauber Braga
Jean Wyllys
Luiza Erundina