A report by Poder360 showed that even prevented by Petrobras compliance, the company extended its contract with the state-owned company
The MP (Public Ministry) together with the TCU (Union Court of Auditors) made a representation asking for an investigation and follow-up of the contract between Etesco –a ship operator and civil construction company– with Petrobras, despite the company being prevented by the rules of compliance of the state.
The drillship operator’s contract with Petrobras was revealed in a report by the Power 360, published on Monday (4.Jul.2022). Accused of paying bribes to the PT, the company was the target of Operation Lava Jato.
“The facts reported by Power 360 are extremely serious not only because they reveal misconduct, but also because they demonstrate that past mistakes are being perpetuated in the current government”, said the deputy attorney general of the MP with the TCU Lucas Furtado, author of the action, in the representation. read the intact (519 KB).
According to Furtado, Petrobras’ history is one more reason for the case to be followed up. “Unfortunately, Petrobras’ history demonstrates cases involving corruption and misuse of public money, however, past mistakes cannot be dragged on.”, he said, in the play.
In this sense, the prosecutor says that practices like this are not suited to the demands of society. “[Os contratos] reveal, moreover, a practice that is incompatible with the new demands of society, whose moral parameters must also be taken into account in the decision and in the distinction between expenditures that can and cannot be financed with public resources“, said.
ETESCO & PETROBRAS
Accused of paying bribes to PT members to close million-dollar contracts with the Petrobras in the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (EN), the Etesco Construções e Comércio resumed doing business with the oil company under the management of Jair Bolsonaro (PL). It was prevented by the state’s anti-corruption rules.
The new agreement stipulates the payment of around US$ 230,000 per day for the drillship to prospect for oil – approximately R$ 1.1 million. The original contract called for a payment of $460,000 per day. At the time, the dollar exchange rate was approximately R$1.80, equivalent to just over R$820,000 per day.
WHAT PETROBRAS SAYS
Petrobras told the Power 360 that the renewal of the contract with the Etesco Construções e Comércio followed state rules. According to the oil company, this is an extension of previous contracts.
“The contracts in question are the result of a bidding process, and the extension of the charter and service contracts of the Etesco Takatsugu J Unit (NS-38) was carried out by means of a contractual amendment, as provided for in the contracts, in full compliance with the company’s compliance rules”, said the state.
Etesco received a high GRI (Integrity Risk Degree) from Petrobras. The rating measures the ability of companies to have mechanisms to prevent corruption. The higher, the worse.
There are 3 possibilities: low, medium and high. Each one has a color. If the risk of corruption is low, the company is classified with a blue flag. If it’s high, red flag. Between the 2 extremes, there is the yellow flag.
O Power 360 he also questioned the fact that Etesco’s partners, after being targeted by Lava Jato, had changed their tax domicile to Paraguay. Petrobras said that in the DDI (Due Diligence of Integrity) process these aspects were addressed.
“It should be clarified that the DDI aims both at the identification of integrity risks, including the geographical location of the company’s headquarters and history of its partners, as well as the existence of mechanisms capable of mitigating these risks, which was carried out in the aforementioned process.”, said the state.
WHAT DOES ETESCO SAY?
Etesco was contacted for 1 month by the report of the Power 360 to answer questions regarding this report. He didn’t speak up.
WHAT DOES LAVA JATO SAY?
After being accused by operator Fernando Moura in a plea bargain in the Lava Jato operation for allegedly having paid bribes to the PT, the company was no longer investigated, at least momentarily. Moura’s denunciation was canceled because, according to the lawsuit, he had lied.
Former prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol, who coordinated the Lava Jato task force from 2014 to 2020, was called to comment on possible flaws in the investigation surrounding Etesco. He said the following in a note: “The former prosecutor does not recall this specific case and does not know the confidentiality status of any investigations”. Dallagnol said that only prosecutors who continued the investigation could comment.
The Federal Public Ministry in Paraná said that “there are investigations and actions in progress, most remain confidential”. She did not provide further details.
WHAT THE MME SAYS
The MME (Ministry of Mines and Energy) was contacted, but did not comment on the matter. He said that Petrobras should talk about the matter.
#asks #TCU #investigate #Etescos #contract #Petrobras