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He is the target of Operation Sem Fundos, which investigates alleged bribes in the construction of the Pituba Tower, a Petrobrás building in Salvador.
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| Photo: Newspaper 316 |
Businessman Mário Seabra Suarez, who entered into a plea bargain with the Federal Public Ministry, reported alleged deliveries of R$2 million to the headquarters of the PT Nacional, in São Paulo, at the historic address of the group, on Rua Silveira Martins, Sé.
He is the target of Operation Sem Fundos, which investigates alleged bribes in the construction of the Pituba Tower, a Petrobrás building in Salvador.
In his agreement, he mentions alleged operators of Senator Jaques Wagner (PT), as well as figures already convicted in Operation Lava Jato, such as former PT treasurer João Vaccari Neto. He also mentions Armando Trípodi, former chief of staff to José Sérgio Gabrielli as president of the state-owned company.
The agreement involved lawyer Roberto Podval, an experienced criminal lawyer who does not usually work with plea bargains, and defends defendants in Lava Jato, such as former PT minister José Dirceu.
This is not the first time that the PT headquarters has been cited as the destination of alleged bribes in the context of investigations. Money launderer Alberto Youssef has also confessed to having taken R$800,000 to Vaccari at the headquarters, whose telephone secrecy was even broken during the Operation.
Operation Sem Fundos targets an alleged bribery scheme of R$68 million for the PT and former directors of the Petros Fund and Petrobrás within the scope of the construction works of Torre Pituba, the headquarters of the state oil company in Salvador.
Investigators are working on suspicions of overpricing of R$1 billion in the works – initially budgeted at R$320 million, they ended up costing R$1.32 billion.
Suarez was a partner at Mendes Pinto Engenharia. He claims that there was an agreement for contracts with the state-owned company for the construction company, which involved Newton Carneiro, former director of Petros, Trípodi, and Paulo Afonso – a deceased partner at the construction company. They are said to have approached Vaccari as 'PT cashiers'.
According to the whistleblower, 'at that time, there was still no prior study indicating the total investment value, but only a promise of payment of an undue advantage, without any established value' and that 'the values were agreed upon later'.
The businessman says that Vaccari had agreed with Paulo Afonso on bribes of R$9.6 million, which would be divided between the PT Nacional, represented by the former treasurer, the board of Petros, represented by Newton Carneiro and Wagner Pinheiro; and Petrobrás, represented by Trípodi.
Another part would be destined to the PT of Bahia, to Carlos Daltro, identified as an operator of Senator Jaques Wagner.
The businessman claims that Vaccari indicated intermediaries to receive the money, such as his sister-in-law, and the money changer from Salvador Luiz Eduardo, who used a correspondent in São Paulo to make deliveries to the PT headquarters in São Paulo, at Rua Silveira Martins, 32 – Sé neighborhood.
The whistleblower reports that 'on two occasions, Sormany, an employee of Paulo Afonso, was in São Paulo, at the PT headquarters, to deliver funds'.
He states that 'in the first delivery, he and Alexandre Fernandes, also an employee of Mendes Pinto Empreendimentos, traveled on a commercial flight from Belo Horizonte, and that Sormany received 200 thousand reais from Pauta Afonso, put them in two envelopes and both carried the amounts on their backs, inside their shirts' and that, 'arriving in São Pauta, Alexandre Fernandes handed the envelope to Sormany, who was in charge of making the delivery to the PT'.
The businessman even provided the details of the taxi driver who took him to the PT headquarters in downtown São Paulo. The money was allegedly delivered to one of Vaccari's secretaries. He also provided investigators with other details, such as phone calls between the party and the construction company.
The report contacted the press office of the Workers' Party and is awaiting a statement. It also contacted the office of Senator Jaques Wagner. When contacted, Sérgio Gabrielli's defense did not respond. The report is seeking contact with Carlos Daltro and Armando Tripodi.
