09/28/2023 – 20:39
Representative Lindbergh Farias (RJ), one of the deputy leaders of the PT in the Chamber, denounced the president of the Central Bank, Roberto Campos Neto, to the Ethics Commission of the Presidency of the Republic this Thursday, 28. The parliamentarian asks that the body investigate whether the head of the BC maintains resources in exclusive funds remunerated by Selic, the economy’s basic interest rate, the level of which is defined by the BC’s Monetary Policy Committee (Copom).
The PT member argues that Campos Neto was “evasive” when asked, during a public hearing in the Chamber this Wednesday, 27th, whether he has investments in exclusive funds. “The Commission needs to investigate possible conflicts of interest in the actions of the president of the Central Bank”, says Lindbergh. At the Finance and Taxation Committee, the head of the BC said he was in favor of taxing exclusive funds, a measure that is part of the Finance Minister, Fernando Haddad’s package, to increase revenue and eliminate the deficit in public accounts next year.
“It turns out that none of the questions, aimed at understanding whether there is a possible conflict of interests between the actions of the accused as president of the Central Bank and his private investments, were satisfactorily answered in order to rule out any suspicion of violation by him of the Code of Conduct of the Senior Federal Administration”, states Lindbergh, in the document sent to the Ethics Commission.
The PT deputy’s complaint against Campos Neto comes one day after the head of the BC met with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in a meeting arranged by Haddad to improve the relationship between the government and the monetary authority. The minister defined the agenda as something institutional, “relationship building”. “Excellent, hard working, very productive, friendly. Lula received it well. The conversation went very well,” said Haddad.
The relationship between Campos Neto and Lula has been turbulent. Since assuming the presidency of the Republic, the PT member has referred to the head of the BC several times as “this citizen” and, at the beginning of the year, even questioned the autonomy of the monetary authority itself, approved by Congress in 2021. Lula’s allies remember that the president of the Central Bank went to vote in last year’s elections wearing the Brazilian National Team shirt, used as a symbol by supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who was running for re-election.
In February, Lindbergh coordinated the launch of a parliamentary front “against abusive interest rates” in the Chamber. The launch event, which took place on the 14th of that month, was attended by PT president, Gleisi Hoffmann, another fierce critic of Campos Neto. At the time, she said that autonomy did not give the BC the right to be “irresponsible” with the country’s economy. Lula’s party feared that high interest rates would slow economic growth and, consequently, bring down the presidential popularity.
The Copom cut the Selic rate from 13.75% to 13.25% per year in August, which reduced tension between the government and Campos Neto, who was the decisive vote for the 0.5 percentage point cut – some directors voted for a smaller adjustment. This month, the monetary authority again reduced basic interest rates, this time to 12.75% per year.
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