PGR denounces governor of Acre for five crimes and loss of R$ 11 million

The Attorney General’s Office (PGR) denounced and requested the removal of the governor of Acre, Gladson Cameli (PP), for crimes of criminal organization, active and passive corruption, embezzlement, money laundering and bidding fraud. The complaint was sent on Tuesday (28) to the Superior Court of Justice (STJ), which has jurisdiction to investigate governors.

According to the PGR complaint, in 2019 a criminal scheme began responsible for the diversion of at least R$11.7 million from state coffers. The complaint arises from Operation Ptolemy, conducted by the Federal Police (PF).

Cameli would have participated in the diversion of public funds from a government contract worth R$18 million to carry out road and building works with the company Murano Construções Ltda, whose headquarters are in Brasília.

In addition to the governor, Cameli’s wife, two brothers of the head of the Executive Branch, public servants, businessmen and people who allegedly acted as “scammers” in the scheme were also denounced.

According to the complaint, Cameli had received R$6.1 million in bribes, through payment of installments for an apartment in a prime area of ​​São Paulo and a luxury car.

Although the complaint is related to this specific contract, the PGR reported that eight illegal contracts were identified, with total estimated losses to public coffers of almost R$150 million.

In a note published on the Government of Acre website, the governor’s Communications Secretariat wrote:

“In view of the recent publications published in the Acre and national press regarding the complaint by the Attorney General’s Office, and the consequent request for removal from office, Governor Gladson Cameli reaffirms his confidence in justice, remaining available for any clarifications, as well as continuing to fulfill his obligations as head of the Executive Branch of the State of Acre”.

MPF data

The information gathered throughout the investigation proved that 64.4% of the total paid by the state to Murano resulted from the supposed execution of road works, mainly maintenance and construction of highways and local roads, services other than those provided for in the contract.

“Approximately two thirds of the amount paid corresponds to an object completely foreign to the contractor, in clear distortion of the principle of equality”, points out one of the excerpts of the complaint. For investigators, bidding fraud is largely configured, since the real purpose of the works (the construction of highways) should have been dealt with in a specific bidding process.

The complaint also showed that the Murano company does not have any business structure in Acre. The Comptroller General of the Union (CGU) indicated that there was “full subcontracting of the object of the contract, which constitutes an escape from the bidding procedure and violates the principle of equality, as well as violating art. 37, XXI, of the Federal Constitution”. Furthermore, the discovery that this subcontracting took place in favor of a company owned by the governor’s brother reveals, in the investigators’ assessment, the use of illegal procedures to cover up the real recipient of the resources, the head of the Executive, appointed as the leader of the criminal organization.

Overpricing

Technical analyzes also showed an overpricing of R$8.8 million, in addition to an overbilling of R$2.9 million in services contracted by the State of Acre with Murano. In both cases, the CGU confirmed irregularities such as payment for inputs and services that were not actually provided. This was possible, according to the complaint, due to fraud in measurements and certificates signed by employees who were part of the scheme.

One of the examples mentioned was the registration of the rental of 900 scaffoldings and 6,840 assembly and disassembly of structures at a cost of almost R$116 thousand for painting the Arena Acre stadium. In contrast to the attested documentary records that served as the basis for payments, the photographic records identified no more than 20 scaffoldings around the site, in addition to confirming that the service was carried out using the technique of using ropes to keep workers suspended.

The evidence gathered in the investigation led to the conclusion that, of the total resources withdrawn from public coffers, only 35% were used to pay for services provided by subcontracted companies.

Removal

Given the seriousness of the facts, the PGR requested the precautionary removal from public duties of the governor and other public agents accused until the end of the criminal investigation, in addition to the prohibition of contact between those accused, who will also not be able to approach the headquarters of the state government.

The MPF also ordered the precautionary blocking of the assets of those accused on a joint basis up to the value of R$12 million, to ensure compensation for the public treasury in case of future convictions. The requests will be analyzed by the case’s rapporteur at the STJ, minister Nancy Andrighi.