Bolsonaro entourage disagrees about returning watches – 03/08/2023 – Politics

Members of the entourage that accompanied Jair Bolsonaro (PL) on an official visit to Qatar, in October 2019, adopt divergent positions on the willingness to hand over the luxury watches they received from authorities in the Arab country to the government.

The gift was immediately returned by one of the members and submitted to consultation by the Presidency’s ethics body by another, regardless of public questioning. Part of the group consulted by the Sheet is now willing to give up watches.

Meanwhile, other members of the entourage shirk the ethical debate or indicate a willingness to continue with the luxury gifts until there is an official requirement.

On the 1st, the TCU (Tribunal de Contas da União) approved a decision recommending the return of Cartier and Hublot brand watches, whose prices range from R$ 30,000 to R$ 100,000 and which were handed over to various authorities without charging the due customs duty.

The court understood that receiving luxury items violates the constitutional principle of morality in public administration.

According to the TCU and documents from the Public Ethics Commission of the Presidency, four ministers at the time received the watches: Onyx Lorenzoni (Casa Civil), Augusto Heleno (Institutional Security Office), Ernesto Araújo (Foreign Relations) and Osmar Terra (Citizenship ).

In addition to them, Sergio Segovia, president of Apex (Brazilian Agency for the Promotion of Exports and Investments); Gilson Machado, president of Embratur and who would later become Minister of Tourism, Caio Megale, then head of the Special Office of Institutional Relations at the Ministry of Economy, and Roberto Abdala, then Brazilian ambassador in Doha.

Abdala and Megale took a different attitude from the others, before any questioning. The ambassador immediately “arranged for the return of the gift, a wristwatch by the Hublot brand, due to its high cost”, as reported by the TCU.

Megale was responsible for bringing Brazilian authorities into action when he formally questioned the Ethics Commission of the Presidency on whether it would be ethical to keep a Cartier brand watch that he received from an assistant of the Presidency of the Republic, when he was already in Brazil, just over a year ago. month after the trip to Qatar.

Onyx and Megale told the Sheet who, after TCU’s decision, will return the gifts. Terra has indicated that it will do the same if notified. Machado signaled that she may insist on continuing with the watch. Heleno declined to comment. Araújo and Segovia were not located.

After formal questioning by Megale, the Ethics Committee of the Presidency decided by 4 votes to 3, in June 2021, that there would be no need to return the gifts, since, according to the majority vote, there would be no conflict of interests or offense to the Code of Conduct of the High Federal Administration.

Two points were used by the prevailing vote in the commission, nearly two years after the voyage. The code prohibits public authorities from accepting gifts, “except for foreign authorities in protocol cases where there is reciprocity”. The commission’s resolution allows receipt as long as “offered by foreign authorities, in protocol cases where there is reciprocity or due to the exercise of diplomatic functions”.

In March 2022, however, opposition federal deputy Ivan Valente (PSOL-SP), filed a representation on the case at the TCU.

In the judgment approved on the 1st, reported by Minister Antonio Anastasia, the TCU decided to “inform the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic and the respective Public Ethics Commission that the receipt of gifts for personal use with high commercial value by agents public on a diplomatic mission goes beyond the limits of reasonableness (…), in disagreement with the principle of public morality, provided for in article 37 of the Federal Constitution, in such a case, the delivery of the good” to the national public heritage.

In her vote, Anastasia wrote that the exchange of diplomatic gifts must involve objects of a symbolic nature, sufficient only to “represent, as a symbolic and traditional gesture, the courtesy inherent in relations between diplomatic agents”.

Therefore, continued the minister, “the commercial value of the object received by the agent on a diplomatic mission must not overshadow its nature, I repeat, merely symbolic”.

In a note, the Sindifisco (National Union of Tax Auditors of the Federal Revenue) stated that foreign goods, even if they are brought on FAB planes, are subject to the same rules that are applied to commercial planes —that is, tax exemption for items with values ​​up to US$ 1 thousand.

“Passengers or crew members of Air Force, Navy, Army, among others, need to declare goods purchased that cost more than US$ 1,000 and pay the due tax already at customs. Even if the air base is not customs, it is necessary that the arrival of the flight is notified in advance so that an auditor can be present at the time of disembarkation”, says the Sindifisco. “If the auditor does not arrive on time, it is mandatory that the traveler wait for the arrival of the Federal Revenue server to present the goods to customs.”

OTHER SIDE: Politicians say they will return watches, but others remain silent

Members of Bolsonaro’s entourage to Qatar told the Sheet wishing to return watches received as a gift. Others either did not manifest themselves or hinted that they might not follow TCU’s recommendation.

“When I am notified, I will take action. I have a decision from the Ethics Commission [da Presidência] that there was no problem. Now, if something different comes… For the time being, I have not received any notification, nothing”, said former minister and now deputy Osmar Terra (MDB-RS).

Terra confirms having received the watch in Brazil. “Must have come along on the plane [da Presidência] and then they sent [entregar aos presenteados]”, he added.

He says he hasn’t sold or worn the watch, but he doesn’t remember the brand. “It’s a nice watch,” he just said.

Onyx also mentioned the previous decision of the Ethics Commission, but stated that, despite it, he never used the gift either.

“With this TCU decision, it is logical that I will return the watch, as soon as I return from my vacation. The watch is untouched, has never been used, is in the same package I received and will be returned in the same way”, he said.

“At the time of receiving the item, Caio Megale immediately reported to the Ethics Committee of the Presidency of the Republic to find out how to proceed in this situation”, says a note sent by the economist.

Even with the commission’s decision on not needing to return it, he states that he chose not to use the object, “which remains intact and packed”, and that now, in view of the TCU’s new recommendation, he will return the watch.

Gilson Machado sent news about the decision of the Ethics Commission that gave shelter to the non-return. Questioned, however, about what he intended to do in light of TCU’s recommendation, he no longer responded to messages.

When contacted by the Panel column to comment on TCU’s recommendation, Machado sent a message saying that the ethics committee decided that he did not need to return the object.

Heleno declined to comment. A Sheet was unable to contact Araújo and Segovia until the publication of this report.

Sought after on the morning of this Wednesday (8), the Federal Revenue and the Presidency of the Republic had not manifested themselves until the publication of this report.