Tatá Werneck, Marcelo Tas, Ronaldinho: see celebrities involved in CPIs

Tatá Werneck, Marcelo Tas, Ronaldinho Gaúcho, Cauã Reymond. The last few days have been marked by the appearance of famous names in news involving the work of the Parliamentary Commissions of Inquiry (CPIs).

On Wednesday (23), the CPI on Cryptocurrencies, also called the CPI on Financial Pyramids – one of the six commissions active in Congress – approved the breach of bank secrecy for Tatá, Cauã and Tas.

The first two were even summoned to appear before the commission, but obtained a habeas corpus from Minister André Mendonça, of the Federal Supreme Court, which allowed the two not to appear.

Ronaldinho Gaúcho was also summoned to testify at the CPI, but he failed to testify twice. The chairman of the commission, Deputy Aureo Ribeiro (Solidariedade-RJ), determined the coercive conduct of the former player. The CPI also asked the Federal Court to prevent him from leaving Brazil.

Ronaldinho Gaúcho does not appear to testify at the CPI of Cryptocurrencies

The CPI of the Financial Pyramids aims to “investigate evidence of sophisticated fraudulent operations in the management of several financial services companies that promise to generate equity through cryptocurrency management, with the disclosure of false information about projects or services and promise of abnormally high or guaranteed profitability and absence of fees, but constituting a remuneration system fueled by the entry of new participants (which has brought huge losses to investors and society as a whole, between 2019 and 2022)”.

Tatá, Tas and Cauã are being investigated for having made advertisements for the company Atlas Quantum. The company is accused of applying a BRL 7 billion scam to around 200,000 investors.

Tatá’s defense explained that the campaign was carried out five years ago, the actress “could never have foreseen that the company would be involved in fraud” and that the work was punctual. Tas’s defense declined to comment.

CNN awaits the return of Cauã’s defense.

Ronaldinho, on the other hand, was summoned to provide clarification on business with the company 18K, accused of acting as a financial pyramid. The defense says that the former player is not a partner of the company and that he is a victim of the company, which used his name “without authorization”.

Football on the field of CPIs

Another ongoing CPI in the Chamber is the Apostas Esportivas, or “Manipulação no Futebol”, which is “aimed at investigating match-fixing schemes in professional football matches in Brazil”.

On Wednesday (23), the CPI approved an invitation to listen to midfielder Lucas Paquetá. The number 7 of the Brazilian National Team in the last Cup is being investigated, in England, for possible involvement in sports betting.

This is not the first time that famous personalities are involved in committees of the National Congress.

For example, in October 2000, the CBF/Nike CPI was installed in the Chamber, aimed at “assessing the regularity of the contract entered into between the CBF and Nike”. The commission heard more than 100 deponents and extended the work until June 2001, but ended up ending the work without voting on the final report.

Among the deponents were journalists, such as Juca Kfouri and José Trajano, football personalities, such as the then president of the CBF, Ricardo Teixeira, the former president of FIFA, João Havelange, coaches Zagallo and Vanderlei Luxemburgo, and players Roberto Charles and Ronald.

Ronaldo’s testimony was one of those that had the greatest impact. The then Inter Milan striker testified at the same session in which deputy (and member of the CPI) Eurico Miranda was heard.

In the session, which lasted more than nine hours, he answered questions ranging from his relationship with Nike to his seizure episode before the 1998 World Cup final and who should have scored Zidane, who scored two goals in the match.

Another media case involving CPIs took place in 2012, with the “Furacão da CPI”, nickname given to lawyer Denise Rocha.

At the time, she was working as an advisor to Senator Ciro Nogueira (PP) and had an intimate video leaked and watched by parliamentarians during a session of the CPMI in Cachoeira, which investigated the activities of the bicheiro Carlinhos Cachoeira.

Denise was eventually fired and gained fame after the episode’s repercussions, even posing for Playboy magazine and joining the cast of the reality show “A Fazenda”, of which she was runner-up in 2013.

*With information from CNN Brazil

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