After 3 years, Senate opens process against politician caught with money in his underwear

Investigation

Senator denies any irregularity in the case and claims that the episode happened “due to panic and fear” at the time of the PF operation

Brasilia DF) – The Senate Ethics Council opened, this Wednesday (14), a disciplinary procedure against Senator Chico Rodrigues (PSB-RR), caught in 2020 with money in his underwear during an operation by the Federal Police (PF).

The case had not yet been filed with the Ethics Council due to the suspension of the activities of the collegiate during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rodrigues denies any irregularity in the case and alleges that the episode happened “due to panic and fear” at the time of the PF operation.

Police officers were investigating, at the time, an alleged scheme to divert public resources that should have been earmarked for combating Covid-19 in Roraima.

It is from the opening of the disciplinary procedure that the process begins. The rapporteur of the case will be the Senate Renan Calheiros (MDB-AL).

Administrative proceedings were also opened against four other senators.

Styvenson Valentim (Podemos-RN) will be judged by a live broadcast held in 2021 when he made fun of then-deputy Joice Hasselmann, who said she was the victim of an assault at her home. The Civil Police later found that she “fell from her own height”.

In the live, Valentim said: “That thing there, one of two. Or two out of five hundred or a very long career. Then she went crazy and that’s it… she left hitting the house ”.

Senator Cid Gomes (PDT-CE), in turn, is accused by the mayor, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), of having offended “the honor of another parliamentarian” by statements made in 2019.

The episode to which Lira refers is a speech by Cid in which he compares the current mayor with Eduardo Cunha, the former mayor who was arrested during the Lava Jato operation.

The current leader of the government in Congress, Randolfe Rodrigues (without party -AP), became the target of an action because of statements given during the CPI of the Covid-19 pandemic.

At the time, Randolfe said that Bolsonaro was a “vaccine thief” and “the people’s money”. Former deputy Daniel Silveira, convicted and imprisoned for attacks on the democratic rule of law, is the author of the action.

Finally, Senator Jorge Kajuru (PSB-GO) will answer to the Ethics Council for two cases. The first of them is for having recorded and released a conversation with then-president Jair Bolsonaro in 2021. The second is for having released false information about other parliamentarians from Goiás.

*With information from CNN

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