Carlos Bolsonaro withdrew almost 90% of his salary in 16 years – 05/07/2023 – Politics

A report from the Public Ministry of Rio de Janeiro points out that councilor Carlos Bolsonaro (Republicanos-RJ) withdrew almost 90% of the salary received in the City Council between 2005 and 2021. The practice creates difficulties for the investigation into the alleged “crack” in his office.

Carlos’ financial transactions are different from those of his brother Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ), who did not withdraw half of the remuneration received in the Legislative Assembly between 2007 and 2018. The low volume of withdrawals in cash was one of the evidence used in the complaint against the senator, in action later filed due to the annulment of the evidence.

In the case of Flávio, the investigators pointed out that the withdrawals carried out by the senator and his wife, Fernanda, were not enough to explain the successive payments of investments and personal expenses with cash.

Based on this evidence, they were accused of obtaining personal benefit from the transfer of funds in cash controlled, according to the MP-RJ, by Fabrício Queiroz.

Carlos’ bank details, whose breach of secrecy was authorized by the Justice in the midst of the investigation into “cracks” in his office, show another reality in relation to the councilor.

According to a report made by the Laboratory of Technology to Combat Corruption and Money Laundering of the MP-RJ, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro withdrew BRL 1.98 million from his account between 2005 and 2021. The amount corresponds to 87% of the total received in salary from the City Council in the period.

The movement supports payments in cash at a similar level. The investigators will need clearer evidence that the origin of an expenditure in kind is a possible “rachadinha” scheme, and not the withdrawals carried out by the councilor himself.

Carlos declared to Justice, for example, that he had paid R$15,500 in cash to a stockbroker to cover losses on investments made on the Stock Exchange.

He also informed the Federal Revenue that he lent R$ 30,000 in cash to his older brother, money used for the acquisition of commercial premises in Barra da Tijuca.

There is also suspicion on the part of the MP-RJ that he purchased a property with R$150,000 in cash in 2003. This fact, however, is not under investigation due to the limitation period —the breach of bank secrecy begins in 2005.

A Sheet also revealed in September 2020 that the councilor maintained at least between 2007 and 2009 a private safe for the safekeeping of assets at Banco do Brasil. According to the bank’s rules at the time, they were intended for the custody of papers, coins, documents or jewelry.

The councilor’s lawyer, Antônio Carlos Fonseca, said he would not comment on the case due to the secrecy of the investigation. “I regret the leak of the report,” he said.

The use of cash does not constitute a crime, but it may have the objective of making it difficult to trace the origin of amounts obtained illegally or goods paid for with the proceeds of crime.

Such as Sheet revealed, Carlos was also the recipient of cash deposits totaling R$129,500, most of which (R$91,000) have no identified origin.

One of the depositor’s unidentified credits, worth R$10,000, was made a week before the former president’s son acquired a property in Copacabana, in the south zone of Rio de Janeiro.

The investigation against the councilor is still ongoing. The first suspicions after the production of the report fell on the current chief of staff Jorge Fernandes, whose bank account received BRL 2 million from six of Carlos’ employees over a period of ten years (2009 to 2018).

The investigation seeks to analyze whether this money was transferred in some way to Carlos, either in cash or through payment of personal bills. Initial information indicates that Jorge paid some of the councilman’s bills.

The investigation against Carlos was opened after the Sheet reveal in 2019 the existence of a “ghost employee” in the councilor’s office.

Regarding the deposits in Jorge Fernandes’ account, Carlos Bolsonaro’s defense stated that the councilor “is fully available to provide clarifications and provide any type of information to the Public Ministry”.

“It is necessary to determine whether, once again, the regrettable leak of possible documents and information that are under secrecy determined by the Judiciary has occurred. Apparently, the article selectively discloses some confidential information with the clear intention of promoting attacks on the councilor “, said lawyer Antônio Carlos Fonseca in a note.