Marcelo Lopes da Ponte participated in the Education Commission of the Chamber to provide clarification on the body’s bids
The president of the FNDE (National Fund for the Development of Education), Marcelo Lopes da Ponte, said that “Never” was influenced by pastors during his tenure. He participated in the Education Committee of the Chamber of Deputies this Wednesday morning (May 25, 2022).
The president of the FNDE was called by the commission to provide clarification on the body’s bids.
In March, a leaked audio from the then minister Milton Ribeiro opened investigations into an alleged corruption scheme in the Ministry of Education (MEC). Pastors would have asked for bribes to mayors in exchange for the release of FNDE resources.
“Regardless of political party, I always attended to all the people who came to me in these almost 2 years of management, be they mayors, municipal education secretaries, deputies, senators, governors. I want to make it clear that I have never been influenced by a pastor or anyone else.”he said.
At the time, Ribeiro said that his priority “it is first to serve the municipalities that need it most and, secondly, to serve all those who are friends of Pastor Gilmar”being one “special request that the President of the Republic”. The former minister was referring to Pastor Gilmar dos Santos, leader of the Christ for All Ministry.
The declaration took place at a meeting at the MEC that was attended by Gilmar, mayors, leaders of the National Education Development Fund and Pastor Arilton Moura. Moura was at least 35 times at Palácio do Planalto, from January 2019 to February 2022, while Santos, 10.
“In these consultations that were attended by pastors, I want to clarify that they never traveled with us on the FAB aircraft or even in the entourage of commercial planes and that we never paid any expenses related to them”said the president of the FNDE.
In early April, Marcelo Lopes da Ponte was heard by the Education Commission of the Federal Senate. At the time, he said that he had met the pastors on 4 occasions.
The president of the FNDE also denied irregularities in the purchase of robotics kits. Schools that face a lack of running water, classrooms, computers and the internet received the equipment. According to Marcelo, a set of 10 kits costs R$ 176,000.
Regarding the contracts signed by the FNDE of almost half a billion reais for works in cities that had unfinished schools, day care centers and sports courts, Marcelo said he suspended “preventively to study the audit better and have a timely manner so that we could carry out the necessary analyses”.
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