Cabral had R$ 220 in bribes for personal expenses, says former aide.
Sonia Ferreira Baptista, former secretary and advisor to former Rio de Janeiro governor Sérgio Cabral (PMDB), stated that the politician had monthly expenses of approximately R$ 220, including expenses for employees, condominium fees, doctors, car insurance, and others. According to her, these payments for Cabral and his family from his first marriage were covered by Carlos Miranda, whom the Prosecutor's Office calls the "Man with the Suitcase," and Luiz Carlos Bezerra, another accused of being Cabral's financial operator and who is also a defendant in Operation Calicute.
Rio 247 - Sonia Ferreira Baptista, former secretary and advisor to former Rio de Janeiro governor Sérgio Cabral (PMDB), stated that the politician had monthly expenses of approximately R$ 220, including expenses for employees, condominium fees, doctors, car insurance, and others. According to her, these payments by Cabral and his family from his first marriage were settled by Carlos Miranda, whom the Prosecutor's Office calls the "Man with the Suitcase," and Luiz Carlos Bezerra, another accused of being Cabral's financial operator and who is also a defendant in Operation Calicute. Cabral, who is currently imprisoned, is accused of leading a group that embezzled approximately R$ 224 million in contracts with various construction companies, of which R$ 30 million relates to works carried out by Andrade Gutierrez and Carioca Engenharia. The politician is currently in his second marriage, and his current wife, Adriana Ancelmo, is also detained.
In her testimony to the Federal Police (PF), Sonia did not mention the names of any of the PMDB politician's children, nor did she make any accusations against his family members, but she said that Miranda handled the payments. "That he didn't manage the money, but only compiled a list of expenses and sent it to Carlos Miranda so that he could make the necessary payments," Sonia told the PF.
The former advisor stated that she became a partner in the consulting firm Gralc at the initiative of Miranda, the company's owner. Holding only 1% of the partnership, Sonia said she never received any remuneration for her role in the company, but that "Sérgio Cabral's personal bills were taken to Carlos Miranda at Gralc's headquarters for payment."
With one employee and created when Cabral arrived in the state government, Gralc received R$ 13 million for alleged consulting services between 2007 and 2014, many of the payments coming from companies that investigators suspect are shell companies.
Miranda was cited by at least six whistleblowers as the person indicated by Cabral to receive bribes of around 5% agreed upon between contractors and the then-governor. The money was related to contracts for multi-million dollar public works projects in Rio de Janeiro.
Regarding Luiz Carlos Bezerra, the former secretary said she maintained a "collegial" relationship with him and that she used to meet him during Cabral's political campaigns.
According to the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF), Cabral demanded bribes totaling around R$ 25 million from the construction company Andrade Gutierrez. The money came from contracts for works signed between the state and the company. The PMDB politician is a defendant in a case involving corruption, money laundering, and criminal conspiracy/belonging to a criminal organization.