Investigated by a robotic kit, he also sold medicines to city halls in the center – 06/09/2023 – Power

Investigated by the PF (Federal Police) in the overbilling scheme for robotics kits, Denilson de Araújo Silva, 51, also appears as the owner of another company, Star Medicamentos e Material Hospitalar Eireli, or Star Med. The company earned BRL 8.5 million in emergency pandemic contracts with Pernambuco city halls between 2020 and 2022, according to investigations.

Star Med is registered with the Federal Revenue as active and with capital of R$ 150 thousand. Denilson Silva is registered as the sole partner. But his equity does not match what would be that of a businessman with millions of reais in contracts with public entities. He lives in a humble house on the outskirts of Maceió and drives a 2007 Focus, which isn’t even in his name. The one in his name is a Gol 1.0 2010.

Denilson was also a partner of Roberta Lins da Costa Melo at Megalic. The company is suspected of selling overpriced robotics kits with money from centrão politicians’ amendments. Denilson stayed in the partnership until July 2017, when he left the partnership and was replaced by Roberta’s husband, Edmilson Leite Catunda Junior.

According to the PF report on the investigations, to which UOL had access, the fact that Denilson “lives in a modest address” indicates that, instead of being a businessman, he would be an orange in the scheme. Cops went to his address last year and confirmed he lives there with his wife. And she said that, in fact, he works as a mechanic, reinforcing the indications that he would be the figurehead for the operators of overpriced public purchases.

According to the investigations, Denilson’s relationship with the other accused in the scheme began when he was an office assistant at another Edmilson Catunda company, 3JC Serviços – which is registered at the same address as Megalic.

Due to his relationship with Megalic and the other suspects, Denilson was the target of a search and seizure and also of a blockade of assets determined by the Federal Justice of Alagoas in Operation Hefesto, in the total amount of R$ 8 million, against all targets. According to the decision, all assets worth more than R$ 100,000 in the possession of the accused must be blocked until R$ 8 million is reached.

Founded in July 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, Star Med has already started its activities as a supplier to several municipalities in Pernambuco without going through a bidding process. In 24 contracts closed until 2022, the company sold medicines and hospital equipment to municipalities.

Among the items sold are protective masks, gloves, disposable needles, cotton, bandage and medicines, such as antibiotics, anti-flu, anti-allergy and even ivermectin and azithromycin – medicines that were used against covid, but which are ineffective against the disease .

The largest contracts were with the municipalities of Palmares, Xexéu, Ribeirão and Carpina. Together, these municipalities paid R$6.3 million to Star Med. “Some” of these contracts, according to investigations, were signed by the company’s attorney, Rodrigo Lins Costa Melo, who is the brother of a Megalic partner, Roberta Lins Costa Melo. For the PF, this reinforces the indication that Denilson would only act as an orange.

Star Med’s headquarters is located in a small house with a “simple” facade, as defined by the Federal Police, in a municipality in the interior of Pernambuco. The investigation identified only two active employees on its staff.

“Despite its recent creation, ‘simple’ facade, relatively low share capital, and its owner and attorney residing in another state (AL), STAR MEDICAMENTOS E MATERIAL HOSPITALAR EIRELI signed several contracts with city halls of PE, with expressive values” , says the investigation report.

center

The PF did not advance in the investigations into the activities of Star Med. But the table attached to the investigation report gives some clues.

Palmares, the city that made the most transfers to Star Med, of R$ 2.6 million, has a mayor from the PP, Júnior de Beto. In 2022, he supported the candidacy for federal deputy of Lula da Fonte (PP), elected for his first term, and who is the son of centrão veteran Dudu da Fonte (PP).

The mayor said, through his advisory, that the services provided for in the contracts were provided and the materials were delivered.

Ribeirão, which paid R$1.3 million to Star Med, also has connections with the centrão. The municipality’s political godfather is a federal deputy from the PP close to Arthur Lira, Fernando Monteiro. He requested transfers of BRL 750,000 through the secret budget to the city in 2021 for health expenses. The mayor of the municipality, Marcello Maranhão, is from the PSB, but he campaigned for Monteiro.

Sought, the deputy told UOL that he does not know the company and that he sent resources for the “costing” of the municipality’s health, without allocating to a specific expense.

“The mayor, who is a good mayor, does what he wants. He gives me his demand and I put it (the amendment). I don’t put an amendment for the company, I put an amendment for the municipality”, he said.

The other municipality with larger contracts, Xexéu, is administered by Mayor Thiago de Miel, from the PSC, a party that is also part of the centrão. He supported the candidacy of André Ferreira (PL) for federal deputy, who was the most voted in Pernambuco in 2022. Evangelical and Bolsonarist, Ferreira was already leader of the PSC in the Chamber in the previous term, when he supported Lira’s candidacy for President . Afterwards, he left the party to join the same party as then-President Jair Bolsonaro.

In the case of robotics kits, with an initially estimated loss of R$ 8.1 million to the public coffers, the PF investigates Megalic’s involvement in fraud in bids for municipalities in Alagoas, misappropriation of public funds and transfers of bribes.

Politically linked to the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), the former adviser to the leadership of the PP in the Chamber Luciano Ferreira Cavalcante was the target of a search and seizure in Operation Hefesto after the PF identified suspicions that money diverted from city ​​halls had been destined for him. The investigators obtained video recordings of one of the deliveries of funds, made to Luciano’s driver in the parking lot of the hotel where he lives in Brasília. Lira was not the target of the investigation launched on the 1st.

Other side

The other city halls and mayors mentioned were contacted, but did not respond to contacts. Denilson Silva also did not return phone calls for the report. Megalic’s defense was sought but did not respond.