the owner of a company that earned R$ 26 million in robotics kits with funds from Educationin an operation suspected of overpricing, has been at least 101 times in the Chamber of Deputies since 2016. On 11 of these occasions he has been in the offices of the current president of the House, Arthur Lira (PP-AL).
This is what records obtained by the Power 360 via LAI (Access to Information Law). Here’s the intact (274 KB). There are records of visits to offices of at least q0 deputies. Of the 101 entries registered, however, 66 do not include the destination in the Chamber’s data.
Alagoas is, by far, the state that had the most education money set aside for the purchase of robotics kits in 2021, with R$109.4 million. At least R$26 million went to Megalic, as shown reportage from the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo, according to which there are indications of overpricing in purchases. The report shows that robotics kits were delivered to schools with serious sanitation problems.
The technical area of TCU (Union Court of Auditors) identified that the FNDE (National Fund for the Development of Education) committed BRL 109.4 million in 2021 to municipalities in Alagoas to buy robotics kits, of which BRL 89.6 million via rapporteur amendments. The State led the efforts (phase of budget execution in which money is set aside but not yet paid) for this purpose.
The efforts for robotics kits in Alagoas add up to 3 times the amounts reserved for the 2nd place, Pernambuco, with R$ 36.7 million – R$ 29.3 million of which through amendments by the rapporteur. The information is in the process opened by the TCU from the representation of the senator Alessandro Vieira (PSDB-SE). Here’s the intact of the opinion of the technical area of the body (1.3 MB).
Visits to Arthur Lira
Edmundo Leite Catunda Júnior is one of the partners of Megalic Ltda, based in Maceió (AL). One of his sons, the councilor of the capital of Alagoas João Catunda (PP), is an ally of Lira and has already been to the official residence of the Presidency of the Chamber. In at least one of the meetings in Brasília, with Lira himself and other political leaders of the PP, his father accompanied him.
In November 2021, the then Minister of Education, Milton Ribeiro, and members of the FNDE even visited Maceió at the invitation of Lira and João Catunda. “I thank Arthur Lira for putting us in front of the event”, wrote the councilor in a post on his Instagram profile at the time.
wanted by Power 360the mayor’s office stated that “all lessons” about Lira’s connection with the FNDE transfers “are incorrect and unfounded”.
“Edmundo Catunda is a businessman in Alagoas. He talks to state politicians. And it is part of the policy to talk to businessmen, associations, mayors”, added the deputy’s team.
In testimony to the Senate Education Committee in early April, the president of the FNDE, Marcelo Lopes da Ponte, was asked about the disparity in efforts to purchase robotics kits in Alagoas compared to other states.
“This resource was not destined, was not committed or even paid without the due attention of technical criteria, either by parliamentary indication or in a discretionary manner.“, answered.
In his testimony to the Education Commission, the president of the fund also hinted that the money for the purchase of robotics kits comes mainly from amendments by congressmen to the Budget -which can be from individual deputies and senators, from state benches or from the rapporteur- general.
Before reaching the command of the FNDE, Ponte was the senator’s chief of staff. Ciro Nogueira (PP-PI), today Chief Minister of the Civil House of Jair Bolsonaro (PL).
In some of his visits to the Chamber, Edmundo Catunda, from Megalic, also informed that he would go to the offices of 2 other Alagoas deputies: Marx Beltrão (PP) and Nivaldo Albuquerque (Republicans). Congressmen did not respond to requests for comment from the Power 360.
Family relationships
In addition to being countrymen, Edmundo Catunda and Marx Betrão also have a family connection. João Pedro Loureiro Pessoa Catunda, son of Megalic’s owner and brother of councilor João Catunda, works in the Beltrão office, with a gross monthly salary of R$3,000.
Caio Costa Beltrão, the deputy’s son, is a parliamentary secretary in João Catunda’s office at the Maceió City Council, with a monthly salary of R$5,000. The information was revealed in a report by the Congress in Focus and confirmed by Power 360.
The son of Megalic’s owner, João Pedro Catunda, was appointed by the 2nd Vice-Presidency of the Chamber, occupied by Andrew de Paula (PSD-PE), for a vacancy of a special nature – a public position that does not require a competition.
THE Power 360 found that whoever asked for his appointment was, in fact, Marx Beltrão, at the time affiliated with the PSD. With the migration of the deputy to the PP, João Pedro Catunda was removed and is only waiting for his resignation from the Chamber to become official.
In September 2021, businessman Edmundo Catunda entered the Chamber informing that he would go to the 2nd Vice-Presidency.
Caio Beltrão and João Pedro Catunda assumed the commissioned positions in 2021. The Megalic partner’s meetings with Marx Beltrão took place before the children of each arrived at their respective offices in Maceió and Brasília.
Pastors at MEC
Suspicions about irregularities with education money came to light from the publication of newspaper reports The State of São Paulo and Folha de S.Paulo. In them, there are reports from mayors of municipalities in São Paulo, Goiás and Maranhão about requests for bribes from pastors Gilmar Santos and Arilton Moura, close to the then Minister of Education, Milton Ribeiro.
After the reports, some of the municipal managers repeated in the Senate Education Commission the allegations that the evangelical leaders asked for cash and even gold to facilitate the release of money from the FNDE. Amid suspicions, Ribeiro resigned from the MEC.
The Federal Police also opened an inquiry to investigate suspected irregularities in the distribution of education funds.
assiduity
Megalic’s businessman has been visiting the Chamber of Deputies frequently since 2016. The average for the last 6 years was 2 visits per month.
Most of the records of entry in the premises of the House do not inform a specific destination. Only 35 of the 101 entries indicate Edmundo Catunda’s office of destination.
The Chamber document obtained via LAI clarifies that the location is informed by the visitor at the time of identification at the entrance of the building. Says not “possible to certify the actual attendance of the visitor to the place informed by him”. This also means that Edmundo may have gone elsewhere, not just those informed.
Arthur Lira’s offices were the main destinations for Megalic’s owner, with 11 meetings. Edmundo Catunda joined Megalic in March 2020. Since August 2020, the businessman has been visiting the deputy’s offices. There are 3 records of visits to PP leaders during the period in which Lira was in charge – in August and November 2020 and in January 2021.
Lira assumed the presidency of the Chamber of Deputies on February 1, 2021. After that, Edmundo went to the president’s office 8 times – all in the last year. A post by João Catunda on March 10, 2022 shows the businessman and Lira together at a PP meeting. The councilor was elected by the PSD, but later joined the Progressistas.
Megalic’s owner went to PP Leadership 2 times after Lira left office. The leader of Progressistas at the time of these passages was Cacá Leão (PP-BA).
On February 9, João Catunda posted on Instagram Photos of a meeting at the official residence of the Presidency of the Chamber with Lira, representatives of the municipalities of Alagoas, Cacá Leão –whom he calls “friend”– and, according to the councilor himself, FNDE officials.
The councilman’s father also went to the 4th Secretariat of the Chamber of Deputies in 2020, when André Fufuca (PP-MA), another Progressives deputy, held the position.
Although Edmundo Catunda, from Megalic, informed at the entrance of the Chamber that he would go to the Presidency of the Chamber or to party leaders, it is not possible to say that the businessman found the deputies who held these positions at the time. He may also have met with other members of the acronym or with officials from those offices.
Other destinations
Edmundo Catunda also visited the deputy’s offices 6 times Nivaldo Albuquerque (Republicans-AL), two of them in December 2019 and June 2020. At the time, Albuquerque was from the PTB.
The businessman went another 4 times to the PTB leader’s office in 2021, when Albuquerque held the position. In February of this year, he visited the Party Leadership again, then under the command of Marcelo Moraes (at the time in the PTB-RS and currently affiliated to the PL).
Other offices visited were those of PT and PSD leaders. The 1st was visited in January 2021, when Enio Verri (PT-PR) was in office. In March 2022, Edmundo went to the PSD. The party leader in the Chamber is Antonio Brito (PSD-BA).
André de Paula, Verri and Brito told the Power 360 who do not know Edmundo Catunda or Megalic and have not allocated any of their amendments to the acquisition of robotics kits. Ephraim Son (União Brasil-PB) said that he is not aware of Edmundo Catunda’s visit to the then DEM leader and, if it happened, it was not to speak with him.
André Fufuca, Cacá Leão and Nivaldo Albuquerque did not respond to contacts from the Power 360.
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