Lira’s allies see government order in PF operation – 06/01/2023 – Politics

The mayor, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), spoke this Thursday (1st) with the Minister of Justice, Flávio Dino (PSB), about the Federal Police operation that hit people linked to the deputy.

According to reports, Lira wanted to know the circumstances surrounding the start of the PF operation and whether it was related to political events.

According to people informed about the conversation, Dino told the deputy that he has no interference in the investigations and that he was not notified of his existence in advance.

The meeting between the two was revealed by the Metrópoles portal and confirmed by Sheet.

Party leaders who are part of Lira’s political group saw the coincidence of the dates of the operation and the vote, in the Chamber, of an MP (provisional measure) vital for Lula, a way for the government to reach the deputy through the Federal Police.

Lira almost imposed the biggest defeat of the Planalto to date, by taking until practically the last minute the vote on the MP that restructured the Esplanada dos Ministérios.

The Chamber of Deputies approved the provisional measure this Wednesday night (30), after two days of intense negotiation; and the operation that investigates Lira’s allies for a fraud scheme in robotics kits was launched this Thursday (1st). Lira’s allies said that, at the very least, the proximity of the dates is surprising.

Government members deny that the operation is any form of retaliation, noting that the PF action had to be postponed because the investigated were abroad.

As the Panel said, the operation launched this Thursday was scheduled for May 23, but had to be suspended because two of the targets were in Miami, in the United States, between the 16th and 28th of last month. It was resumed with the return of those investigated to Brazil.

The PF fulfilled this Thursday morning arrest and search and seizure warrants in an investigation into deviations in contracts for the purchase of robotics kits with money from the FNDE (National Fund for the Development of Education).

The investigation began with a report by the Sheet published in April last year on acquisitions in municipalities of Alagoas, all signed with the same company belonging to allies of Lira.

The Chamber has been the legislative house that has generated the most difficulties for the Planalto. This week, deputies approved the project for the temporal framework, criticized by environmentalists and indigenous people for making it difficult to demarcate indigenous lands.

On another front, they approved a version of the provisional measure that restructures the Esplanade of the Ministries that dehydrated Lula’s ministries, such as the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples.

The government’s setback, however, could have been much greater. Over the past two days, party leaders have mobilized to reject the MP, which would mean resuming the configuration of the Esplanada that was in force in the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government.

After a series of articulations, the leaders reached an agreement to approve the proposal. Lira, however, made clear his dissatisfaction with the government’s political articulation and stated that, from now on, the Lula administration would “have to walk with its legs” in Congress.

In addition, Lira made it known to interlocutors from the Planalto Palace that he will not guide projects of interest to Lula until the deputies assess that the government has adjusted the political articulation and the relationship with the House.

The president of the Chamber was one of Bolsonaro’s main allies and had support from the base of the Lula government to be re-elected president of the Chamber last February.

Publicly, Lira said this Thursday that he does not feel affected by the Federal Police operation that targets his allies.

In an interview with GloboNews, Lira said that she has “absolutely nothing to do with what is happening” and that each one is “responsible for their CPF in this land and in this country”.

“I cannot issue any value judgment. What I can say is that I, having the position I have in defense of parliamentary amendments that bring benefits to all of Brazil and the entire population, have absolutely nothing to do with what is happening and I don’t feel hurt nor do I think it’s provocative,” he said.