Paulo Pimenta would have omitted from the TSE house in prime area in 3 elections

Minister Paulo Pimenta, from the Social Communication Secretariat of the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), would have omitted from the declarations of goods delivered to the Electoral Justice – in the last three elections he disputed – the house where he lives in Brasília, according to investigation from the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo published this Monday (20).

The property, which would have been acquired for BRL 1.6 million in 2013, is not included in the property lists delivered in 2014, 2018 and 2022, in which he ran for and won the position of federal deputy for the PT of Rio Grande do Sul.

A People’s Gazette consulted the declarations of assets in the three elections, and the house is not mentioned in any of them. In 2014, Pimenta declared that he had a net worth of R$603,500, with only an apartment worth R$97,400 in Porto Alegre as property.

In 2018, equity decreased to R$566,000, keeping the same apartment as in the previous election and adding a parking space in the same building. And, in 2022, Pimenta declared him to have BRL 192,800 in equity, keeping the previous apartment, but getting rid of quotas he had in the company Ouro Negro Comércio e Serviços, which added up to BRL 436,500 in the previous elections.

A People’s Gazette he also consulted the declaration of assets from the 2010 election, before Pimenta acquired the house in Brasília. In that election, he declared that he had an apartment worth BRL 194,500 in the city of Santa Maria (RS), which he says he later sold for BRL 590,000.

According to the investigation of Sheetthe house in Brasilia has a current market value of approximately R$3 million, and is located in the Lago Norte neighborhood, where similar properties are listed for around R$5 million.

Law determines declaration of assets

Paulo Pimenta told Folha de S. Paulo that the house is his and his wife’s property, and that it is declared in the income tax reports submitted to the Federal Revenue Service. A People’s Gazette asked the minister for a response, but did not get a response by the end of the report.

“Since this is the couple’s property in 2014, 2018, 2022, it appeared in my wife’s declaration, whose CPF is informed in my declaration. This is the orientation of the Federal Revenue regulations”, he told Sheet.

Also according to the newspaper, Pimenta said that the resources for the purchase of the house in Brasília came from the sale of the apartment in Santa Maria and from loans, in addition to the couple’s own resources, with payments in checks and bank transfers. The loans would have been in the form of consignment by Banco do Brasil – which are also not included in the declaration of assets to the Electoral Court.

Although he declared the property to the Federal Revenue Service, Pimenta may have failed to comply with Electoral Law 9.504/1997, which requires a declaration of assets signed by the candidate with the candidacy registration request. The document allows the company to monitor the evolution of its candidates’ assets in order to investigate suspicions or conflicts of interest.