Lula in China: Entourage has names investigated in the past – 03/21/2023 – Market

The entourage of businessmen that will accompany President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) on the trip to China, organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, involves names and companies that were investigated in operations related to illegal payments to politicians during previous PT administrations.

The most famous are the brothers Joesley and Wesley Batista, from JBS, who signed a plea agreement with the Attorney General’s Office, validated by the STF (Federal Supreme Court) in 2017.

In testimony, Joesley said he had deposited approximately US$ 150 million in accounts abroad, at the request of former PT minister Guido Mantega. These accounts would have been used for the benefit of Lula and former president Dilma Rousseff, both from the PT, and was spent, according to him, “all in the campaign”.

He does not claim to have discussed this matter directly with Lula or Dilma, only with Mantega, and said that initially he did not even know that the money had any connection with the two.

The defense of the two PT members always stated that they never requested illegal payments or dealt with the matter, neither with the businessman nor with interlocutors.

“There were two phases, President Lula’s phase and President Dilma’s phase,” said Joesley. “In President Lula’s phase it reached US$ 80 million dollars, in President Dilma’s phase it reached about US$ 70 million [milhões]. Or the other way around: $70 [milhões] in Lula’s and US$ 80 [milhões] Dilma’s.”

“I asked [ao Guido]: they know it? Does Lula know this, does Dilma know? [E ele respondeu] ‘yes you know, I tell them everything'”, continued the businessman in the statement. Sought, J&F, controller of JBS, did not manifest itself.

According to Joesley, the money was paid for Mantega to act as an intermediary in business carried out with BNDES, Petros (Petrobras Social Security Foundation) and Funcef (Fundação dos Economiários Federales) in order to benefit JBS.

Also participating in Lula’s entourage in China will be the president of Abiec (Brazilian Association of Meat Exporters), Antônio Camardelli.

According to the JBS denunciation, he acted as an intermediary for the company and made a donation of R$ 100,000 in slush funds to the campaign of Onyx Lorenzoni (then in the DEM-RS, today in the PL) to the Chamber.

Onyx was Minister of the Civil House and other portfolios in the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL). In press interviews in May 2017, Onyx argued that the money was used to pay off 2014 campaign expenses, but agreed that he should “pay for the mistake”.

In 2020, the former minister signed a non-criminal prosecution agreement with the PGR and paid a fine to get rid of action on the case. Sought, Camardelli did not manifest.

Marfrig, an animal protein processor, will also be represented on the trip. The company was investigated in two Federal Police operations, Sépsis and Cui Bono?.

The company’s founder, Marcos Molina, said in a statement to the delegates that he had paid BRL 617,000 to operator Lúcio Funaro to release loans from Caixa Econômica Federal, when then-deputy Geddel Vieira Lima (MDB) was the bank’s vice-president.

Molina formalized a term of commitment to repair possible damages, which protects Marfrig and its executives from any financial and legal liabilities. The agreement, however, was not a collaboration and there was no admission of guilt on the part of the businessman. He won’t be on the trip.

When contacted, Marfrig stated that “in relation to Operation Cui Bono, the TRF-1 [Tribunal Regional Federal da 1ª Região]in a unanimous decision, dismissed the action against Marcos Molina do Santos, concluding that there was no illegal conduct on the part of the businessman”.

Representing the Brics Institute, the trip will be lawyer Mário Pagnozzi, who in 2017 was arrested on suspicion of participating in a scheme to rid companies of assessments by CARF (Administrative Council of Tax Appeals), within the scope of Operation Zelotes. The report was unable to locate Pagnozzi.

Travel and accommodation costs to China will be paid by businessmen, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. The role of the portfolio and the government, according to advisers, is to facilitate meetings and business that executives have with Chinese people.

In addition to the agro executives, at least another 50 industrialists are going to China. The list includes companies such as Embraer, Vale and banks. This group is also expected to go earlier this week.

Lula is scheduled to board on Friday (24) for the Asian country. Next Tuesday (28), the president will hold a series of bilateral political meetings with the Chinese. On Wednesday (29), there will be an agenda with the participation of around 200 businessmen who are going to the country and Lula. The president will return to Brazil on Thursday (30).