31 março, 2017
A Federal Court sentenced Brazil’s former speaker of the Lower House, Eduardo
Cunha, to more than 15 years in prison on Thursday for corruption, making him
the highest-profile political conviction yet in the “Operation Car Wash”
scandal. The former politician’s defense team said they would appeal the
decision but Cunha will remain imprisoned pending appeal.
Cunha,
who drove the successful impeachment of former President Dilma Rousseff, was
forced from his position as speaker in July and arrested in October on
accusations he received millions in bribes from the purchase of an oil field in
Benin by state-run oil company Petrobras.
Over
200 people have been charged in the “Operation Car Wash” probe, a far-reaching
investigation that centers on bribes and political kickbacks from contracts at
Petrobras. The Supreme Court is likely to approve soon the investigation of
dozens of sitting politicians.
In
February 2015, Cunha, a member of President Michel Temer’s Brazilian Democratic
Movement Party (PMDB) that for a decade was the main member of left-leaning
Workers Party (PT) governments, defied the wishes of his own coalition to run
for and win the speakership of the lower house of Congress.
Just
six months later, he officially broke with the PT government of Rousseff,
saying that she was using the Petrobras investigation as a tool of “political
persecution” against him.
As
speaker, only Cunha could allow impeachment proceedings to begin against
Rousseff, whom critics accused of breaking budgetary laws. He did just that in
December 2015, just hours after PT deputies cast deciding votes for him to face
an investigation by the House’s ethics committee for lying about bank accounts
he and his wife held in Switzerland.
By
May, Rousseff was impeached and Temer installed as successor. But Cunha could
not shake free of corruption allegations that eventually led to his downfall.
Once he was kicked out of congress, Cunha lost the privilege given to sitting
politicians that only the badly overburdened Supreme Court can try them.
His
case was instead sent to the federal judge Sergio Moro, who has been the driving
force behind Brazil’s fight against graft. Moro has a reputation for plowing
through cases efficiently, with over 98% of his convictions in Car Wash cases
being upheld by higher courts.
Cunha
faces another trial for allegedly receiving US$5 million skimmed from Petrobras
contracts for two drill ships in 2006 and 2007.
Source:
Mercopress Agency
28 março, 2017
O
Relator da Operação Lava Jato no Superior Tribunal Federal (STF), Ministro
Edson Fachin, informou por meio de sua assessoria que decidirá sobre pedidos da
Procuradoria-Geral da República (PGR) ainda no mês de abril. No dia 14 de março, o Procurador-Geral da
República Rodrigo Janot enviou 83 pedidos de abertura de inquérito contra políticos
citados em delações por executivos da construtora Odebrecht. Espera-se que mais
de cem políticos com foro privilegiado estejam entre os citados pela PGR. Os nomes
ainda estão mantidos em sigilo e o caso tem causado nervosismo dentro do
Congresso e no Planalto.
Fachin
informou ainda que as decisões serão anunciadas em conjunto. A previsão inicial
era de que o Ministro começaria divulgações dos pedidos já nesta semana. Além
dos pedidos de abertura de investigação contra políticos, Rodrigo Janot
solicitou 211 declínios de competência para outras instâncias da Justiça, nos
casos que envolvem pessoas sem prerrogativa de foro, além de 7 arquivamentos e
19 outras providências.
Entre
as decisões, também há a expectativa para que o Ministro-Relator acate o pedido
do Procurador-Geral da República para que torne público todo o material. Todos
os pedidos foram realizados a partir dos acordos de colaboração premiada
firmados com 77 executivos e ex-executivos das empresas Odebrecht e Braskem no
âmbito da Operação Lava Jato.
Na
ocasião do envio dos pedidos da PGR, o material chegou ao STF em dez caixas que
ficaram guardadas em uma sala cofre no 3º andar do prédio principal da Corte. O
material, que é mantido em sigilo, já foi digitalizado e protocolado. Somente
na última terça-feira (21) o ministro recebeu em seu gabinete todos os
documentos. De lá para cá, tem analisado cada caso.
Na lista de Janot
Entre
os 83 pedidos de abertura de inquéritos contra políticos, estão algumas das
principais lideranças do Congresso Nacional. Os Presidentes do Senado, Eunício
Oliveira (PMDB/CE), e da Câmara dos Deputados, Rodrigo Maia (DEM/RJ), bem como
cinco Ministros do Governo Michel Temer: Eliseu Padilha (Casa Civil), Moreira
Franco (Secretaria-Geral da Presidência), Aloysio Nunes Ferreira (Relações
Exteriores), Gilberto Kassab (Ciência, Tecnologia e Comunicações) e Bruno
Araújo (Cidades).
Também
figuram na lista de Janot os senadores Aécio Neves (PSDB/MG), José Serra (PSDB/SP),
Renan Calheiros (PMDB/AL), Romero Jucá (PMDB/RR) e Edison Lobão (PMDB/MA).
Fonte:
Congresso em Foco e Agência Brasil
21 março, 2017
 |
| Photo: Presidência da República/Beto Barata |
In
a statement made Monday (Mar. 20), the Brazilian President Michel Temer said
the issues uncovered at meat processing plants by the Federal Police as part of
Operation “Weak Flesh” affect only a small part of the sector. “Agribusiness is
of the utmost importance to us and must not lose its value on account of a
small core, something that will shrink in size: it can be investigated,
monitored, and punished whenever necessary. But we must not compromise the
whole system we've been putting together over the years. We've been exporting
to over 150 countries,” the president told an audience of investors at the
headquarters of the American Chamber of Commerce, in São Paulo.
The
crackdown was launched last Friday (17) and targeted some of the country's
biggest food giants, like JBS, BRF, and Peccin, accused of committing a number
of frauds to conceal the use of expired or low-quality material in food
production.
Temer
noted that the number of public officials implicated (33) is small compared to
all 11 thousand officials in the Ministry of Agriculture. “Our sanitary
assessment systems here in Brazil are extremely rigorous,” he stressed. The
officials are being accused of pocketing bribes in exchange for releasing
products that did not comply with the regulations. He went on to say that the
number of plants under suspicion (21) is small, taking into consideration the
whole of the sector, which includes over 4.8 thousand establishments.
The
president further mentioned the several meetings he held in recent days both to
become acquainted with the topic and to reassure the countries buying Brazilian
foods. “I've been to a number of meetings in Brasília, first with the ministers
from the areas involved in the issue, then with the associations of meat
producers of all kinds, as well as the ambassadors from the countries importing
Brazilian meat. We ended up in a
fraternal atmosphere last night, eating barbecue with all the representatives
of the countries in attendance,” he said.
China
temporarily bars Brazilian meat from entry
China suspended the entry of Brazilian meat in the
country until Brazil provides clarification regarding Operation “Weak Flesh”.
In a note, the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture,
Livestock, and Supply announced it will provide all clarifications to the
Chinese as quickly as possible. “Until it received the information, China will
not allow the meat from Brazil to land. Minister [Blairo Maggi] said he will
hold a video conference with Chinese authorities to provide the
clarifications,” the statement says.
According
to news agency Xinhua, Brazil's exports to China nearly doubled in the first
two months compared to the same period in 2016. In January and February, the
exports raised $6.246 billion, mostly through the sale of oil and iron, soy,
wood pulp, and beef. The value of Brazil's exports to China leaped 94.3%,
driven by an increase in the price of raw materials like oil and iron.
On
Monday morning, a ruling from the ministry removed federal superintendents for
agriculture, livestock, and supply Gil Bueno de Magalhães in Paraná, and Júlio
César Carneiro in Goiás. On
Friday, after the launch of the Weak Flesh probe by the Federal Police, the
government had announced the ouster of 33 government officials suspected of
being involved in the irregularities being investigated.
The investigators believe that the processing plants
implicated in the scheme “masked” spoiled meat and repackaged them to sell
them. The companies bribed government-appointed inspectors in exchange for
allowing the products to be traded without due inspection.
Chile
and South Korea
China's was the only suspension confirmed by the Brazilian
Ministry of Agriculture. However, according to news agency DPA, Chile's
Agriculture Minister Carlos Furche announced that the country barred Brazilian
meat from entry until further clarifications on the scope of the scheme are
provided.
By contrast, South Korea overturned its decision to bar
Brazilian meat imports. In his opening speech at the 2017 Latin American Cities
Conference, in Brasília, Temer further said he is not familiar with all the
details concerning the current position of the South Korean government, but he
believes it came as a reaction to the clarifications provided by the Brazilian
authorities.
The president noted he has already ordered the creation
of a task force to further probe into the irregularities and mentioned the
measures adopted to prevent the economy from suffering any more harm. “The
officials [charged] were ousted by the minister of agriculture, Blairo Maggi,
yesterday”.
Source: Agência Brasil
17 março, 2017
A
Polícia Federal lançou em seis Estados e no Distrito Federal nesta sexta-feira
a Operação “Carne Fraca”, com o objetivo de desarticular organização criminosa
supostamente liderada por fiscais agropecuários federais e empresários do
agronegócio. A Operação investiga a venda ilegal de carnes por grandes
frigoríficos brasileiros e a existência de sistema de propinas destinado a
fraudar autorizações sanitárias no setor.
Segundo
os investigadores, Parte do dinheiro da propina paga pelas empresas envolvidas
na Operação Carne Fraca era destinado à campanha eleitorais de partidos
políticos, notadamente o PP e o PMDB. A informação foi divulgada pelo delegado
da Polícia Federal, Maurício Grillo, em entrevista coletiva concedida em
Curitiba.
“Está
bem claro que uma parte do dinheiro da propina era revertido para partido
político. Era destinado para campanha política”, afirmou o delegado.
Questionado sobre os partidos que seriam beneficiados, respondeu: “No caso de
dois partidos, PP e PMDB, era muito claro”. Grillo afirmou que não é ainda
possível afirmar quanto foi repassado aos partidos nem quanto tempo durou esse
esquema. “Nos dois anos da investigação era muito claro, mas não sabemos se
havia antes.”
O
delegado informou que ainda não é possível apontar o volume de propina
movimentada pelo grupo. No entanto, os policiais encontraram grandes somas de
dinheiro em espécie na casa de vários fiscais agropecuários suspeitos de envolvimento
no suposto esquema de corrupção.
Ministro da Justiça aparece em áudios,
mas PF não vê crime
O
Ministro da Justiça, Osmar Serraglio, é citado em áudios captados nas
investigações. A Polícia Federal não apontou ilegalidade na conduta do Ministro,
que teve interceptada uma conversa telefônica com o superintendente do
Ministério da Agricultura do Paraná de 2007 a 2016, Daniel Gonçalves Filho, que
seria o líder da organização criminosa.
Na
prestação de contas do Deputado Osmar Serraglio (PMDB/PR) à Justiça Eleitoral
em 2014, consta uma doação oficial de R$ 200 mil da JBS, por intermédio do
Diretório Nacional do PMDB.
Na
época em que exercia o mandato de Deputado Federal, Serraglio ligou para o
superintendente para obter informações sobre o frigorífico Larissa, de Iporã
(PR), de Paulo Roberto Sposito, que foi candidato a Deputado Federal por São
Paulo em 2010.
“Grande
chefe, tudo bem? Viu, tá tendo um problema lá em Iporã, cê tá sabendo? O cara
que está fiscalizando lá apavorou o Sposito, disse que hoje vai fechar aquele
frigorífico… botou a boca. Deixou o Paulo apavorado”, afirmou Serraglio ao
telefone. Gonçalves entrou em contato com o fiscal da área para ser informado
sobre o ocorrido. Informado de que não haveria nada de errado na empresa, o
superintendente passa a informação a Serraglio.
O
Ministério da Justiça divulgou nota em que destaca a conclusão do Ministério
Público e da Justiça Federal de que não há indício de ilegalidade na conversa
que envolve o Ministro. “Se havia alguma dúvida de que o Ministro Osmar
Serraglio, ao assumir o cargo, interferiria de alguma forma na autonomia do
trabalho da Polícia Federal, esse é um exemplo cabal que fala por si só. O
Ministro soube hoje, como um cidadão igual a todos, que teve seu nome citado em
uma investigação. A conclusão tanto pelo Ministério Público Federal quanto pelo
Juiz Federal é a de que não há qualquer indício de ilegalidade nessa conversa
degravada”, diz a nota.
Bovespa recua com notícias sobre a
investigação: JBS e BRF lideram perdas
O
principal índice da bolsa paulista mostrava fraqueza nesta sexta-feira, com as
ações da JBS (controladora da Friboi e da Seara) e da BRF (fusão entre Sadia e
Perdigão) liderando as perdas, em sessão marcada por um intenso noticiário
corporativo.
Às
12h01, o Ibovespa caía 1,37 por cento, a 64.880 pontos. O indicador chegou a
abrir no azul, subindo 0,64 por cento na máxima do pregão. O giro financeiro
era de R$ 2,6 bilhões.
Também
no radar estava o cenário político brasileiro, enquanto os investidores avaliam
se as recentes delações envolvendo o núcleo do Governo de Michel Temer podem
afetar o avanço de propostas como a da Previdência.
Segundo
analistas, o cenário político será crucial para garantir que o tom positivo
após dados econômicos recentes como desaceleração da inflação e criação de
vagas formais após quase dois anos de quedas seja sustentado.
No
exterior, o mercado segue atento à reunião de ministros das Finanças do G20 na
Alemanha, o primeiro desde que Donald Trump assumiu a presidência dos Estados
Unidos. O encontro deve terminar sem acordo sobre rejeição ao protecionismo,
mas com a reafirmação de que líderes repudiam desvalorizações competitivas do
câmbio.
Fontes:
Congresso em Foco e Reuters
11 março, 2017
Brazil's
official inflation, as measured by the National Broad Consumer Price Index
(IPCA) is expected to close out the year below the center of the target (4.5%).
The estimate was made by the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA),
which released its report on the first quarter of 2017. The institute did not
announce a specific estimate for the IPCA, but merely declared it should end
the year below 4.5%.
After
last year's deflation, the institute reported, fixed prices (like energy,
transport and other public fees) are to face a slight hike this year. The
phenomenon is expected to raise inflation in the last quarter, but not enough
to exceed the center of the target.
Food
According
to IPEA, price rates are expected to slow further down for the rest of the
year, thanks to the behavior of free prices. Most noteworthy are food prices,
which should face a weaker increase this year, or even decline in some cases,
as a result of the increase in grain harvests and oil-producing plants and not
as a result of climate phenomena in the main producing regions, as has been the
case over the previous years.
As
for decisive external factors, IPEA reported that the price of commodities will
hold steady chiefly for three reasons. Oil extraction will be counterbalanced
by the increase in the US production of shale oil, the havests in both
hemispheres are expected to rise, and China's decision to curb economic growth
should pull down the globe's demand for iron ore.
Source:
Agência Brasil
05 março, 2017
 |
| Foto: Pedro França/Agência Estado |
Brazilian
President Michel Temer has picked as his new Foreign Minister a man who already
has criticized U.S. President Trump. Temer named Senator Aloysio Nunes (71) to
the post on Thursday to replace José Serra. Serra resigned last week alleging
medical reasons. The appointment doesn't require congressional approval. Both Nunes and Serra belong to the center-right PSDB
party, member of the ruling coalition.
After Trump's victory in November, Nunes went on Twitter
to call the real estate mogul “the worst” of the Republican Party,
“uncontrollable” and “exaggerated.”
A leftist guerrilla when a student who fought against
Brazil's military dictatorship in the late 1960’s, (he was forced into exile in
France from 1968 to 1979), Nunes is today a strong advocate of free trade and
private initiative. He promoted closer ties to the United States as chairman of
the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, but his initial response to the
election of Trump last year was very negative. Nunes was also Justice Minister
in 2001-2002.
Nunes is expected to follow Serra's lead in moving away
from a foreign policy of alignment with left-wing governments in Latin America
followed by the Workers Party that was ousted from power with the impeachment
of Dilma Rousseff last year.
“At this moment, in which Brazil is beginning to emerge
from a deep crisis, foreign policy can make a big contribution in the economy,
in foreign trade, in attracting investments to create more jobs,” he said in a
video on his Facebook page.
Nunes said he will work to revive the five-nation
Mercosur trade bloc of South America by drawing it closer to the Pacific
Alliance countries and concluding a trade deal with the European Union.
Nunes is a senior figure of PSDB party, a crucial ally
for Temer's center-right PMDB at a time when the President is trying to
maintain congressional support for austerity reforms and to stem the damage
from a sprawling corruption scandal that has already brought down several
ministers.
Source:
Mercopress Agency
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