Robotics kit: Lira’s assistant is the target of a PF search – 06/01/2023 – Politics

One of the search and seizure warrants executed by the Federal Police this Thursday (1) is at the address of one of the closest assistants to the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira (PP-AL).

Luciano Cavalcante currently occupies the leadership of the PP in the Chamber and is known in Brasília as one of the politician’s most trusted people, who accompanies him on various agendas and trips. Luciano’s wife, Glaucia, was also Lira’s advisor and appears in the investigation.

A Sheet made images of the PF leaving an address in Brasilia linked to Cavalcante after the searches were carried out. Lira was sought out this morning and has not yet responded to the report’s contacts

The PF investigates a scheme of deviations in contracts for robotics kits funded by the FNDE (National Fund for the Development of Education) in the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL). The acquisitions of the kits were revealed by Sheet in 2022.

One of the suspects is that Luciano and his wife Glaucia may be beneficiaries of values ​​diverted from contracts for the purchase of robotics kit, funded in part with money from the rapporteur’s amendments.

The PF reached Luciano Cavalcante and Glaucia when investigating financial transactions Megalic, a company owned by an ally of Lira, winner of contract bids for the sale of kits, also the target of the operation.

According to the PF note, the investigation identified “that financial transactions were carried out by the partners of the supplier company and by others investigated for individuals and legal entities without economic capacity and without relevance to the field of activity of supplying robotics equipment , which may indicate the concealment and dissimulation of assets, rights and values ​​arising from illicit activities”.

Megalic is in the name of Roberta Lins Costa Melo and Edmundo Catunda, father of Maceió councilor João Catunda (PSD). The closeness of the councilor and his father to Lira is public.

In all, the PF carries out 26 search warrants and 2 temporary arrest warrants. According to the PF, the crimes would have been committed between 2019 and 2022 in contracts with 43 municipalities in Alagoas.

“According to the investigation, the aforementioned contracts would have been illicitly directed to a single supplier of robotics equipment, through the insertion of restrictive technical specifications in the tender notices and the restriction of the full participation of other bidders”, said the PF in note.

As shown to Sheetthe TCU had already pointed out fraud in the processes of purchasing robotics kits in the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government and suspended the contracts.

The technical area of ​​the court identified, in total, 253 commitments in a total amount of R$ 189 million for the purchase of robotics kits. Most of it is related to rapporteur amendments appeals, and not all of it was actually paid.

The list raised by the TCU indicates prioritization to the municipalities of Alagoas and Pernambuco, where 12 municipalities received R$ 44 million, according to the agency.

Still according to the TCU, “to the detriment of other municipalities, most of the funds passed on had their origin in amendments by the rapporteur (RP-9)”.