Informant cites payment to Pezão in exchange for "privileged access" to the government.
Former executive Leandro Andrade Azevedo, former director of Infrastructure at Odebrecht in Rio de Janeiro, stated that off-the-books payments made to the state governor, Luiz Fernando Pezão (PMDB), during the 2014 campaign were to maintain the "privileged access" that the construction company already had to the government of his predecessor, Sérgio Cabral (PMDB), who was imprisoned in Curitiba as part of Operation Lava Jato; "Pezão, on several occasions, personally intervened to resolve issues that served the company's interests," he said; the PMDB member denied any wrongdoing; "We must be careful about the selectivity of these testimonies."
Rio 247 - Former executive Leandro Andrade Azevedo, former director of Infrastructure at Odebrecht in Rio de Janeiro, stated that off-the-books payments made to the state governor, Luiz Fernando Pezão (PMDB), during the 2014 campaign were to maintain the "privileged access" that the construction company already had to the government of his predecessor, Sérgio Cabral (PMDB), who was imprisoned in Curitiba as part of Operation Lava Jato. These statements were given as part of a plea bargain.
According to Azevedo, the payments from the construction company resulted in Pezão being "very accessible" to help release funds to the company for works in Rio. "Pezão, on several occasions, personally intervened to resolve issues that served the company's interests. I can say that this happened mainly in the subway project, the government's main project," reported the former executive. Details about the plea bargain were revealed by the Radar column of "Veja" magazine on Saturday (10), and confirmed by Estadão, which had access to the content of some of the annexes negotiated by the collaborator with the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office.
According to the magazine, the company disbursed R$ 23,6 million and 800 thousand euros to Pezão's campaign. The amounts were paid to the Prole agency, which handled electoral advertising, in cash and into an overseas account. "Pezão, as governor, would receive me at any time, even receiving me several times at his residence in Leblon to discuss matters concerning the day-to-day progress of the works, especially seeking his intervention in payment delays," said the former executive.
The governor of Rio stated on Monday (12) that he is not afraid of the testimonies of executives and former executives of Odebrecht. "I have nothing to fear. My accounts have already been approved by the electoral court," said Pezão, after participating in a meeting on the fiscal crisis with the governor of Minas Gerais, Fernando Pimentel, in Rio.
According to the head of the Rio de Janeiro state government, this is not the first time his name has been mentioned in plea bargain testimonies. "I hope it comes officially, like the testimony of former Petrobras director Paulo Roberto (Costa, one of the first informants in Lava Jato), which the Federal Police themselves requested be dismissed and found to be unfounded," he added.
Pezão confirmed the two meetings mentioned. One of them, at his home, dealt with the completion of the Rio Metro works. The second dealt with the concession of the Maracanã stadium to private enterprise - Odebrecht was a partner in the operating consortium.
The PMDB member denied any wrongdoing. "We must be careful about the selectivity of these testimonies," said Pezão.