Transparency International supported “persecution” of Lula, says Pimenta

The Minister of the Social Communication Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, Paulo Pimentastated this Tuesday (6.Feb.2024) that the NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) International Transparency supported the impeachment of former president Dilma Rousseff and the “arrest and persecution” of the president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), in 2018.

In an interview with Power360, the head of Secom questioned the neutrality of the NGO that lowered Brazil's score in the annual corruption ranking. But he said he had no information about Transparency International in the past, when he used the body to criticize the former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL).

“Would an NGO that clearly chose to support the impeachment against President Dilma, support the arrest and persecution of President Lula? –which were annulled by the STF– Do you have the necessary exemption to issue this type of judgment?”he said.

Watch the full interview (1h14min52s):

Minister Dias Toffoli, of the STF (Supreme Federal Court), asked for the opening of an investigation against the NGO Transparency International on Monday (Feb 5). Here's the complete of the decision (PDF – 169 kB).

He says the investigation must determine whether Transparency International misappropriated public resources. In a note, the NGO says that the information that the entity administered amounts recovered in a leniency agreement is false (read more below).

The minister says he is “doubtful” the creation of a private foundation to manage resources derived from the payment of fines to Brazilian authorities.

Pimenta said that the investigation is important because it can shed light on who the NGO's financiers are and whether or not there is a connection between the organization and former prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol and former judge Sergio Moro when they worked in Lava Jato.

“Is there an exchange of emails, messages, to arrange actions with Dallagnol, with car wash, inside or outside Brazil?”he stated.

Toffoli cites a crime report presented by the deputy Rui Falcao (PT-SP). In it, it is reported that since 2014 the MPF (Federal Public Ministry) has worked in partnership with Transparency International to develop actions “generally referred to as 'fighting corruption'”. In 2018, the NGO would have received part of the amount obtained in the J&F leniency agreement and began to act in the administration and application of the resources.

According to the deputy, the fact that the MPF allows an international entity to manage the resources obtained in the leniency agreement“it would be something scandalous” and that, in addition, Transparency International acted “as a true accomplice of Lava Jato in the abuses perpetrated”.

In December 2023, Toffoli suspended, provisionallythe payment of the fine of R$10.3 billion relating to the leniency agreement signed by J&F with the Public Ministry in 2017.

The magistrate's decision was criticized by the entity, which published note at the time stating that J&F committed “judicial harassment” in the appeal analyzed by the minister.

Transparency International released a note in response to Toffoli's decision at 2:24 pm on Monday. The entity states that “never pleaded” any role in managing public resources.

Pimenta stated that he found 32 publications by NGO leaders criticizing Lula and Dilma and that this calls into question the organization's exemption.

“An NGO that has these characteristics, we found 32 posts in the episode involving Dilma and Lula in 2018. 32 posts against Dilma and Lula. With the main leaders and the official page of this NGO”he declared.

In the past, I didn't know

Planalto, members of the PT and the CGU (General Comptroller of the Union) criticized the NGO International Transparency and its corruption ranking, in which Brazil fell 10 positions in 2023.

The survey had been released on Wednesday (January 31, 2024). The attitude, however, differs from that adopted when the same institution evaluated the governments of Michel Temer (MDB) and Jair Bolsonaro (PL).

• What Transparency International evaluates – O CPI, or Corruption Perception Index. And the perception of experts and businesspeople about the integrity of the public sector in 180 countries. Scores are assigned on a scale of 0 to 100. The higher the score, the better the perception of integrity – Brazil's was 36. It is a compilation of opinions. For a survey with some degree of reliability, it would be necessary to make a rigorous assessment of the results of investigations into corruption in each country, and the commitment and independence of those investigating. Read the complete of the report (PDF – 2 MB).

Government officials questioned the integrity of the NGO and its methodology.

The PT was not as critical of the Transparency International lifting when it was not in power. The NGO's study was used by the party and PT members who are now part of the government, such as Pimenta and Alexandre Padilha (Institutional Relations) to criticize Temer’s and Bolsonaro’s administrations.

Pimenta used the ranking in 3 messages on social media:

• 2017 – criticized To fear;
• 2020 – he said that Bolsonaro was the “the least transparent”;
• 2022 – associated the Bolsonaros to the fall of the country in the study.

In the interview, Pimenta stated that in the past he did not know what he knows today and that is why he changed his tone about the NGO.

“I didn’t have all this information that I have today. I didn’t know they had all this connection, I didn’t know these details”he stated.

Read below Paulo Pimenta's messages about the NGO in previous governments: