Suspect of harassing Moraes influences football and politics – 07/17/2023 – Politics

Shortly before the trip in which he came across Alexandre de Moraes at an airport in Italy and became a target of the Federal Police on suspicion of hostility to the STF minister, Roberto Mantovani Filho even had a friendly conversation with Luis Vanderlei Larguesa, president of the PT in Santa Bárbara d’Oeste (inland São Paulo) who was his running mate, in a double with the PL, in a municipal election.

“He introduced me [a quem estava com ele]. The only thing is that he made an observation: ‘look, this here is a great politician, a friend of mine, such: his only defect is being from the PT’. He made this observation like many people do, but in a relaxed tone”, says Larguesa, who expressed strangeness this Monday (17) in view of the episode that involved Mantovani, Moraes and their families last Friday (14) in Rome.

The 71-year-old businessman, influential in business, politics and football in the municipality of 183,000 inhabitants near Campinas, is due to testify this Tuesday (18) to the PF after a case that generated wide repudiation in the political class.

Seen as an executioner by allies of former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) in recent years, Moraes was harassed at the Italian airport, shouting “bandit”, “communist” and “bought”, and reported a coup against his son, whose glasses they came to fall.

Mantovani, who was with Andreia Munarão, his wife, Alex Zanatta Bignotto, his son-in-law, and Giovanni Mantovani, his son, defined the situation as “an embarrassment”. The family’s defense denied any offense to Moraes and said that she ended up involved after hostility from another group, but she refuses to expose details and leaves questions unanswered. He does not comment, however, on the aggression against the son of the minister of the Federal Supreme Court, attributed to the businessman from Santa Bárbara.

PT Larguesa, running for vice on the losing ticket in which Mantovani tried to be mayor in 2004, when the two parties had a national alliance, says he prefers to wait for the results. The PL, for which he ran in that election, would only become Bolsonaro’s party in 2021.

The former vice candidate defines his former partner as “conservative” and says he believes he voted for the then president in 2022. “But I know a lot of people who voted for Bolsonaro and who don’t have a radical profile,” he says.

“I, frankly, found it strange”, he completes, in relation to the conflict at the airport.

In Santa Bárbara d’Oeste, before the case involving Moraes, Mantovani has been known for decades for his role as president of the União Barbarense soccer club during a period considered the team’s golden age, in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1999, at a moment registered by the Sheeteven participated in a club tribute to Zagallo, four-time world football champion and then coach of Portuguesa.

“We never imagined that Zagallo, who is four times world champion in football, would come to Santa Bárbara”, said Mantovani at the time.

Journalist JJ Belani, a researcher into the team’s history, says that Mantovani was one of the club’s greatest presidents. “With him at the helm, União Barbarense won its greatest title, that of São Paulo champion of Série A-2 in 1998 and then São Paulo interior champion in 1999”, he said.

With that, the team rose to the first division. Later, other political groups took over the club, which returned to the second division.

For his work as an entrepreneur in a company that manufactures pumps and accessories, Mantovani has already received honors from the City Council of Santa Bárbara.

Currently, he is affiliated with the PSD, according to the acronym. The party, however, can expel him after evaluation by the ethics commission. In 2020, Mantovani supported local candidates with donations – out of R$19,000 distributed, R$11,000 went to the PSD.

The bet, again, did not pay off at the polls. Candidate Dr. José (PSD), who received R$ 4,000 from the businessman, lost to the current mayor, Rafael Piovezan (PV).

Local politicians now also seem to shy away from linking with the businessman.

In 2018, councilor Joi Fornasari (PV) made a motion of applause for Helifab, Mantovani Filho’s company, mentioning him by name. On this second, the Sheet sought Fornasari personally at the Chamber, but was informed that he would not speak on the subject.

It was not the first honor received by Mantovani, who had already received the title of Barbarense Citizen and also a medal from the Legislative House.

Contacted by the report, Mantovani said that he would spend this Monday outside Santa Bárbara and told the report to look for his lawyer, Ralph Tórtima Filho.

The report also went to the residence of his son-in-law, Alex Zanatta, who declined to be interviewed. He testified to the PF on Sunday (16) in Piracicaba (SP) and denied the accusation of offending the minister.

In Santa Bárbara, in the second round of the 2022 elections, 66% of the population voted for Bolsonaro against Lula. Mantovani, however, seeks to remove the brand of radical Bolsonarist in the middle of the episode with Moraes.

The family’s lawyer claims that Mantovani has been with Lula in the past and has always had a respectful relationship with the PT.

“The fact [no aeroporto] it has no political connotations”, he says. “At no time was anything directed at the minister, at no time did they want to affect the public image of the minister.”

The lawyer, once again, avoided commenting on the suspected aggression against Moraes’ son. According to him, the matter will be dealt with on Tuesday, when the businessman will testify to the PF.

According to the lawyer, the family is scared of the repercussions of the case and “aware that all this will soon be clarified”.

Tórtima Filho says that Mantovani is currently retired and is mainly dedicated to taking care of his grandchildren. His wife, according to the defender, works as a volunteer in charities.

The businessman made a career in charge of Helifab, in the pump business, which distributed products from Netzsch —founded in Germany, which claims to have acquired the company last year and which sought to distance itself from its former partner.

According to the group, Mantovani no longer represents Netzsch. “The Netzsch Group clearly does not align with the attitudes of Mr. Roberto Mantovani and we strongly condemn his actions and behavior”, says the company.

Despite this, he states that he is “‘verifying that there are still active commercial relations between Mr. Mantovani and Netzsch”.