The mayor of Foz do Iguaçu tried to neutralize the Finance CPI, says the Federal Police.
Court-authorized phone recordings show the mayor of Foz do Iguaçu, Reni Pereira (PSB), attempting to neutralize the work of the Finance CPI (Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry), conducted in 2015 at the City Council; the conversations were recorded during Operation Pecúlio, which investigates the misappropriation of funds in the city hall; according to the Federal Police, positions in companies with municipal contracts were used as bargaining chips to impede investigations into irregularities in bidding processes for health-related works. The Federal Police stated that the mayor "made personal efforts to calm the City Council, in order to prevent the CPI from advancing."
Paraná 247 - Court-authorized phone recordings show the mayor of Foz do Iguaçu, Reni Pereira (PSB), attempting to obstruct the work of the Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (CPI) on Finances, conducted in 2015 at the City Council. The conversations were recorded during Operation Pecúlio, which investigates the misappropriation of funds at the city hall.
According to the Federal Police (PF), positions in companies with municipal contracts were used as bargaining chips to impede investigations into irregularities in bidding processes for health-related construction projects. The PF stated that the mayor "made personal efforts to calm the City Council in order to prevent the CPI (Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry) from moving forward."
In one of the wiretapped conversations, the mayor speaks with Melquizedeque Souza, former Secretary of Information Technology and considered the operator of the corruption scheme, about the appointments.
Pereira said: "I managed to resolve half of the councilors' appointments." The former secretary questioned: "You managed?" "Yes, but we'll have to find positions for them. They all ended up as special advisors," replied the mayor.
According to investigations, the person centralizing the appointments was the former Secretary of Government, Sérgio Beltrame, known as Serginho. Several phone calls indicate Beltrame negotiating positions with city councilors and assigning to the mayor the responsibility of authorizing or not the hiring of employees. This information comes from G1.
The councilwoman who chaired the CPI, Anice Gazzaoui (PTN), stated that the investigation has been concluded and sent to the Public Prosecutor's Office.
Other side
The lawyer for Mayor Reni Pereira stated that he would only comment live. The defense for Melquizedeque Souza said they are awaiting the outcome of the investigations and will not comment on the intercepted phone calls. Sergio Beltrame's lawyer affirms that he gave a statement to the Federal Police and that, on that occasion, he provided the necessary clarifications for the investigation.