Caixa: why former bank president is accused of harassment – 03/31/2023 – Market

Caixa: why former bank president is accused of harassment – 03/31/2023 – Market


The former president of Caixa Econômica Federal Pedro Guimarães became a defendant this Friday (31), in a process that investigates allegations of sexual and moral harassment made by employees of the state bank.

Close to former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), Guimarães became head of Caixa on the recommendation of former Economy Minister Paulo Guedes, and gained the confidence of the Chief Executive throughout his term. Guimarães even put himself in the running for the vice-presidential seat on Bolsonaro’s ticket in the 2022 election.

The executive said he was the victim of false accusations when the case came to light last year, but ended up exonerated because of the negative repercussions of the accusations.

After the Justice accepted the complaint against Guimarães, his defense again denied the accusations. “Pedro Guimarães’ defense categorically denies the commission of any crime and is sure that during the instruction the truth will come out, with his acquittal. He trusts in Justice”, said the lawyer José Luis de Oliveira Lima in a note.

Remember the cases that led the former leader to become a defendant.

“Boto showing off”, “flying saucers” and travel advances

The first accusations were made public in a report by the Metrópoles portal, and show that trips were privileged moments for advances.

In one of the reports, one of the employees says that a person connected to the president of the bank asked what she would do “if the president” wanted to “have sex with you?”.

According to the complainant, he was in the pool and “looked like a button showing off”.

Employees said that beautiful women were chosen for trips with their boss, and that those who aroused their interest in another city were invited to work in Brasília — and, according to Metrópoles, were internally called “flying saucers”.

Victims also said that, on trips, he made invitations to go to the sauna or swimming pools with them.

He also suggested that they go into his room. One of these reports says that, at the door of his room, Guimarães asked the employee to go take a shower and come back to review the agenda for the next day, which she refused to do.

Pinches, insurance and invitations

Other whistleblowers reported that the president used to grab them around the waist or around the neck. At the portal, an employee said that Guimarães had tried “several times to advance the signal”, but, when he heard no, he stopped greeting her.

In testimony to Sheeta Caixa employee said she was pulled by the neck and was in shock after the episode.

According to her, Pedro Guimarães’ harassment took place in front of everyone, inside and outside the institution. On one occasion, according to the account, she was alone with the president of the bank, when he asked if she “was with him”. The employee understood, at the time, that the question was in relation to the government. She would then have answered yes.

“Then when I went to leave, he grabbed me by the neck and said, ‘I really want you.’ I left the room, in shock and crying,” she says. “Then, at another time, he already put his hand around my waist and went down, but I left before it got worse.”

In reports to Metrópoles, more than one complainant said she had been touched on her breasts or buttocks. “He put his hand on me. It was absurd. He squeezed my ass. Literally that,” said one of them to the portal.

Toxic climate and moral harassment

After the allegations of sexual harassment surfaced, employees also began to denounce having been victims of moral harassment by the former president and then directors of Caixa. Swearing and public humiliation were among the main complaints.

At least five vice presidents were removed after Guimarães was fired in June 2022. The VP of Technology and Digital, Cláudio Salituro, was removed after journalist Ricardo Noblat’s blog on the Metrópoles website published videos and audios in which he appeared filming and cursing servers and third parties.

At the time, Caixa stated that the material would be analyzed by the bank’s internal affairs department and by “an independent company to be hired by the new management”.



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