The Minister of Communications is being investigated for alleged deviation of parliamentary amendments in 2022, when he was a federal deputy for Maranhão
The Minister of Communications, Juscelino Filho (União Brasil), said this Wednesday (June 12, 2024) that the indictment made by the PF (Federal Police) against him is an action “political and predictable”. According to him, the statement collected by the corporation in May ended abruptly and did not allow for clarification.
“The indictment is a political and predictable action, which starts from an investigation that distorted premises, ignored facts and did not even hear the defense about the scope of the investigation”said in a note (read the full text below).
Juscelino Filho also spoke in a video published on his profile on X (formerly Twitter):
Watch:
The minister is suspected of participating in a scheme to divert parliamentary amendments in 2022. The resources (R$7.5 million) would have been sent via Codevasf (Companhia de Desenvolvimento dos Vales do São Francisco and Parnaíba) for paving streets in the city of Vitorino Freire. The minister’s sister, Luanna Rezendeis the mayor.
The company hired by the municipality to carry out the work was Construservice, by a friend of Juscelino, businessman Eduardo José Barros Costa. He was arrested accused of paying bribes to federal officials to obtain works in Vitorino Freire.
The minister claimed in the note that the investigation that “devastated” your family’s life “didn’t find anything” and that the facts are old. According to him, the facts are “old” and are not related to his responsibilities while he was a deputy.
Launched in September 2023, the PF operation summoned Juscelino Filho to testify in the case of the deviation of the amendments.
Here is the full note:
“The investigation, which should be an instrument to discover the truth, appears to have deviated from its original purpose. Instead, he focused on creating a narrative of culpability in the public eye, with selective leaks, without considering objective facts.
“The indictment is a political and predictable action, which starts from an investigation that distorted premises, ignored facts and did not even hear the defense about the scope of the investigation.
“It is important to make it clear that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that involves my work at the Ministry of Communications, always guided by transparency, ethics and defense of the public interest.
“This is an investigation that delved into my life and that of my family, without finding anything. The investigation turns over old facts that are not even my responsibility as a parliamentarian.
“When I held my position as a federal deputy, I only indicated parliamentary amendments to pay for works. The bidding, execution and supervision of these works are the responsibility of the Executive Branch and other competent bodies.
“During my testimony, the responsible delegate did not ask any relevant questions about the object of the investigation. Furthermore, he ended it abruptly after just 15 minutes, leaving no room for clarification or further elaboration.
“This raises doubts about his exemption, repeating a modus operandi that we have already seen in Operation Lava-Jato and which caused irreparable damage to innocent people.
“It is important to remember that the indictment does not imply guilt. Justice is the only competent body to judge, and I fully trust the impartiality of the Judiciary. My innocence will be proven at the end of this process, and I hope that the broad right to defense and the presumption of innocence will be respected.”
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