Leaders of groups with federal funding attended events at the HQ – 01/21/2023 – Power

Directors of two cooperatives that received government investment in the management of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) participated in coup acts in recent months and had meetings with family members of the former president of the Republic.

Truck driver Eloir Dedonatti, known on social media as Padre do Bolsonaro, is listed in the Federal Revenue as director of the Cooperative Grão de Ouro, from Chapecó (SC). He presents himself in videos on social networks as the president of the cooperative.

According to documents obtained by Sheet, the cooperative received around R$ 200,000 in investments from the federal government for a fuel tank, container and around 15,000 liters of diesel. The transfer took place through the Ministry of Citizenship.

The investment was channeled through Unicafes (National Union of Family Farming and Solidarity Economy Cooperatives), which manages the Roda Bem Caminhoneiro Cooperatividade project, of the Ministry of Citizenship. The total value of the project is R$ 17.9 million.

The program was launched at the end of 2019 by the Bolsonaro government. It aims to encourage cooperativism among self-employed truck drivers and improve the category’s income and quality of life.

Dedonatti was at the stoppages on federal highways and in front of the Army headquarters in Brasília. He drove to the site by truck. There are videos and photos posted on social media of him at roadblocks and at HQ since September last year.

“Fraud in this election was proven, the ballot boxes were rigged. We need to take to the streets, urgently to the military barracks and demand that the Army take action. We need an audit of the ballot boxes, urgently. to become a candidate, now he will be ‘unselected'”, said Dedonatti in one of the videos, from November last year.

Dedonatti also published a video on social media of an electric trio calling on people to go to Brasília. In another video, he calls for military intervention.

He has already received a visit from the former Minister of Citizenship Ronaldo Bento, at the cooperative in Santa Catarina. On the networks, he appears at events alongside the elected senator Jorge Seif (PL), the deputy and son of Jair Bolsonaro, Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL), and the Bolsonarist businessman Luciano Hang.

The truck driver was also a candidate for state deputy for Santa Catarina. In the campaign, he received a donation of R$ 13.8 thousand from the current governor of the state, Jorginho Mello (PL).

Deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro even recorded a video in support of the candidate and mentioned the Roda Bem Caminhoneiro program.

Dedonatti was sought by Sheetbut did not manifest.

Another cooperative leader who received support from the Bolsonaro government is Cleomar Immich. He is president of Cooperlog Sinop (MT), which was later renamed Cootransnop (Sinop Cargo Road Transport Cooperative), but kept the same CNPJ.

The cooperative linked to Immich also received around R$ 200,000 in investments of the same type and program.

In September 2021, he had a meeting with Bolsonaro himself, at the Planalto Palace. The meeting took place when truck drivers carried out stoppages on stretches of highways in at least 15 states. Without formal support from entities of the category, the drivers were politically aligned with the government or linked to agribusiness.

Part of the protesters at the time followed Bolsonaro’s rhetoric, with attacks on the STF and defense of the dismissal of court ministers.

On the occasion, alongside Bolsonarist deputies, Immich denied that Bolsonaro had asked for an end to those demonstrations on the highways.

Immich also participated in roadblocks last year in Mato Grosso. He confirmed to Sheet having been in front of the Army HQ in Brasília for three days, but says he did not participate in the attacks against the three Powers on January 8.

“There was no undemocratic act [em frente ao Exército] because the Constitution allows free expression. I went as an individual, it has no relation to the cooperative that participated in the federal government program, “he said.

“It has already been proven that depredation [8 de janeiro] has nothing to do with Bolsonaro supporters. It was proven that they were infiltrated, not least because people who defend printed votes respect the Constitution”, he added.

Despite the truck driver’s statement, the acts of vandalism against the headquarters of the three Powers in Brasília were perpetrated by radicalized supporters of Bolsonaro, many of whom were in the camp in front of the Army HQ.

Unicafes said, in a note, that it repudiates all the anti-democratic acts that took place and that it is unaware of the involvement of project beneficiaries in such manifestations.

It also claims to use technical and documentary criteria previously published on its website for the selection of cooperatives of self-employed truck drivers benefited by the program.

“We believe in cooperativism as an instrument of social and economic organization, as well as in the need for dialogue and partnerships with governments to achieve their objectives, respecting the autonomy of institutions and democracy”, said the entity.