Mensalão scandal
Encyclopedia
The Mensalão scandal took place in Brazil in 2005 and threatened to bring down the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
. Mensalão is a neologism and variant of the word for "big monthly payment" (salário mensal or mensalidade). The scandal began when on June 6, 2005, the Brazilian Congressional Deputy Roberto Jefferson
told the Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo that the ruling Partido dos Trabalhadores
(PT) had paid a number of Congressional deputies thirty thousand reais
(around US$12,000 at the time) every month in order to vote for legislation favored by the ruling party. The funds were said to originate from state-owned companies' advertising budgets, funneled through an advertising agency owned by Marcos Valério
. Many key advisers to president Lula resigned, while several deputies were faced with the choice of resignation or expulsion from congress, though the president himself went on to be re-elected in 2006. The scandal also sparked unproved charges of illegal campaign contributions from Cuba
and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
and political connections to the assassination of Celso Daniel
, mayor of the city of Santo André.
printed a cover story entitled, "The scandal of the purchase of the PTB by the PT". The article described the development of the alliance between the Workers Party (PT) and the Brazilian Labour Party
(PTB). According to the magazine, the Workers' Party had promised that it would pay R$150,000 to each PTB congressional deputy if they would give their support to the Executive. Allegedly, because these promises were not fulfilled, a storm of allegations of corruption against the PT began to appear in May 2005.
On September 24, 2004, the Rio de Janeiro
newspaper Jornal do Brasil
published the story: "Miro denounces bribery in Congress". The article cited Veja and claimed that the former Minister of Communications Miro Teixeira
had revealed the existence of the monthly payments to the Public Prosecution Ministry.
On September 25, 2004, the Jornal do Brasil
published another story claiming that the President of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies João Paulo Cunha
(PT) had promised that he would fully investigate the claims. According to the newspaper, the President of PPS
Roberto Freire
commented: "This subject has been circulating for months in Congress but nobody has the courage to approach it."
(PTB).
In the tape, Marinho receives and then pockets R$3,000 (about 1,259 USD) in cash. The recording was aired by the major Brazilian television stations.
Agents from the Brazilian Intelligence Agency
(ABIN) took part in investigating the Post Office case. As the scandal developed this involvement was argued to be linked to an attempt to destroy the PT's former allies without the scandal exploding upon the government.
However, a major political battle began when the government tried to systematically obstruct the installation of a Parliamentary Commission of Investigation (CPI) to investigate the growing corruption scandal.
On June 3, 2005 the newspaper Folha de São Paulo published the story claiming that the government was tying funds to various projects to support of the installation of the CPI.
Because of these claims, part of the government's base joined the opposition to support the installation of a Parliamentary Commission of Investigation. Abandoned by his allies, Jefferson began to counterattack. On June 6, the newspaper Folha de São Paulo published an interview with Jefferson. Jefferson claimed that Delúbio Soares
, the treasurer of Workers' Party, was administering a monthly payment of R$ 30 thousand to certain Congressional deputies, in order to influence them to vote with the government.
Roberto Jefferson claimed that those who received the monthly payment called it mensalão, a derivation of the word in Portuguese for monthly payment. The word "mensalão" quickly became the adopted popular label for the scandal, now identified as the "escândalo do mensalão."
According to Jefferson, the operator of the payment scheme was the businessman Marcos Valério de Souza, one of the owners of the advertising agencies SMP&B and DNA, which had large contracts with the government.
After the installation of the Investigation Commission the government allegedly tried to control the commission by installing allies Senator Delcídio Amaral (PT) as President and Deputy Osmar Serraglio (PMDB
) as the key reporter.
Although the Congressional Commission of Investigation for the Post Office scandal subject was officially restricted to the investigation of irregularities in the Post Office administration, it began to investigate the expanding monthly payment claims because of the apparent connections between the cases.
An additional commission for the broader scandal was officially installed on July 20. Allies of the government occupy the key posts; the President of the CPI is the Senator Amir Lando and the reporter (responsible for writing the final report) the Deputy Ibrahim Abi-Ackel
. Abi-Ackel was minister of justice in the government of João Baptista Figueiredo, and he was also accused of involvement in a corruption scandal.
José Dirceu was a rebel fighter against right wing military dictatorship establish on 1964, arrested in 68, he was liberated as one of the political prisoners released at the request of the kidnapers of Ambassador of the United States and took a flight to Cuba from where he came back to Brazil after having changed his face with a plastic surgery. While back in Brazil he hides in a small place in State of Paraná and played the role of a shop owner. During all this time he has not engaged in any guerrilla action, he was a student union leader. He married a girl and didn't tell her his true identity even after having a son with her, only after 1979 when a political amnesty was declared, and then he reengaged his open political life, fighting for democratic presidential elections and the end of the dictatorship regime.
Dirceu was ousted from the position as Chief of Staff of President Lula as the consequence of a scandal resulting from his participation in a corrupt group nicknamed by Lula as the “aloprados” (the mad-dog gang).
In early July, an advisor to Congressional deputy and brother of Workers’ Party President José Genoíno
, was seized at an airport with $100,000 in his underwear and additional funds in his luggage. The wives and secretaries of key figures testified in the numerous and overlapping Congressional panels, including Valério's secretary, Fernanda Karina Somaggio, and the ex-wife of Valdemar Costa Neto
, Maria Christina Mendes Caldeira. The Congressional hearings were often marked by fiery rhetoric and emotional outbursts, including numerous incidents of crying by witnesses and Workers' Party deputies. Although still murky and unclear, reported links between the scandal, its key figures, and the murder of Santo André's mayor Celso Daniel
and various mafia and criminal figures have only intensified its sensational tone and societal impact.
One key event that broadened the scandal into more of a general investigation of the Workers' Party history as whole was the sudden testimony of Duda Mendonça
, public relations specialist and campaign manager for Lula's 2002 campaign, on August 11. He claimed that he was paid using off-shore bank accounts and possibly illegal funds connected to Valério.
The scandal, which had at that time not yet involved Brazil's finance minister who is often claimed to be popular with the international finance community, threatened Antonio Palocci
's standing after lawyer and former advisor Rogério Tadeu Buratti testified that Palocci was involved in corrupt activities while mayor of Ribeirão Preto
in the mid-90's.
Although Lula's popularity waxed and waned, no definite proof emerged that he orchestrated or had knowledge of any monthly payments. Most of the PT's leadership was affected in some way, with many resigning or failing to win re-election. Brazil's economy was widely perceived as not having been substantially impacted by the scandal.
Roberto Jefferson, who initially sparked the scandal, was expelled from the Chamber of Deputies on September 14, 2005 for ethical violations determined by the Congressional Council of Ethics. Despite continued resignations from figure involved, in October the scandal died down somewhat as Brazil had a referendum on gun sales that resulted in a loss for the government's position. At the end of October, Veja published a new story claiming that the Workers' Party had received illegal campaign funds from Cuba—threatening to re-intensify the scandal once again, though that was not ultimately the case.
The Post Office and Vote Buying parliamentary commissions of investigation unanimously approved their first joint preliminary report on September 1, 2005.
The report accused 18 Brazilian deputies of involvement in the corruption scandal:
In the report they are accused of misdeeds including illegal campaign finance activities, placing cronies in strategic positions in government enterprises and receiving kickbacks in return, and receiving cash payments in exchange for voting with the government in the Brazilian Congress.
In regard to the claims initially made by deputy Roberto Jefferson (PTB) the report states:
The report stated that several documents were identified and validated proving that large sums of money were withdrawn from agencies of the Rural Bank in Brasilia
and Belo Horizonte
, as well as from the bank accounts of the enterprises SMPB and DNA. According to the documents, the beneficiaries were federal deputies who received funds in person or through relatives, advisers, or individuals chosen by Marcos Valério
.
The report affirmed that it was possible that some payments were made on a monthly basis and others more or less frequently. The presence of the scheme at all, however, was to deemed to be of greater importance than the timing of the payments.
The editors of the CPI report called the defense made by some parliamentarians that the funds were used to settle debts from electoral campaigns a "lame excuse".
.
According to deputy Roberto Jefferson
, the money for the mensalão came from Banco Rural and the Banco do Brasil
. Documents from Coaf validate the withdrawals from Banco Rural; the withdrawals from the Banco do Brasil have not yet been traced.
The table below shows a side-by-side description of some of the withdrawals and connected votes in the Chamber of Deputies and Senate of Brazil.
Source: Reuters.
-based multinational companies were allegedly involved:
Also there was a movement instigated by members of opposition in order to create a fourth CPI to investigate off-book accounts in all parties' during the most recent elections. Due to serial allegations of the occurring of this kind of operation in many politicians' campaigns in 2002, including President Lula's, many believed this CPI could result in a legal and concrete reason to start his impeachment process. However this process was aborted.
In order to expel a deputy, 257 votes out of 513 are needed. If expelled, in addition to losing his seat in the Congress and parliamentary privileges and immunity, the member can be barred from holding any public office for eight years. Jefferson will be prohibited from running for office again until 2015.
http://www.radiobras.gov.br/materia_i_2004.php?materia=238245&editoria=
http://www2.camara.gov.br/conheca/eticaedecoro/index.html
, accepted the indictments of 40 individuals relating to the Mensalão scandal, most which are former or current federal deputies, all of which were or still allies of Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , known popularly as Lula, served as the 35th President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.A founding member of the Workers' Party , he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in the 2002 election, and was inaugurated as...
. Mensalão is a neologism and variant of the word for "big monthly payment" (salário mensal or mensalidade). The scandal began when on June 6, 2005, the Brazilian Congressional Deputy Roberto Jefferson
Roberto Jefferson
Roberto Jefferson Monteiro Francisco is a Brazilian politician. He was born on June 14, 1953 in Petrópolis, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. He is the son of Neusa Dalva Monteiro Francisco and Roberto Francisco...
told the Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo that the ruling Partido dos Trabalhadores
Workers' Party (Brazil)
The Workers' Party is a democratic socialist political party in Brazil. Launched in 1980, it is recognized as one of the largest and most important left-wing movements of Latin America. It governs at the federal level in a coalition government with several other parties since January 1, 2003...
(PT) had paid a number of Congressional deputies thirty thousand reais
Brazilian real
The real is the present-day currency of Brazil. Its sign is R$ and its ISO code is BRL. It is subdivided into 100 centavos ....
(around US$12,000 at the time) every month in order to vote for legislation favored by the ruling party. The funds were said to originate from state-owned companies' advertising budgets, funneled through an advertising agency owned by Marcos Valério
Marcos Valério
Marcos Valério Fernandes de Souza is a Brazilian businessman in the field of public relations and a key figure in the mensalão scandal. He is the owner of two communications firms, DNA and SMP&B.- Early life :...
. Many key advisers to president Lula resigned, while several deputies were faced with the choice of resignation or expulsion from congress, though the president himself went on to be re-elected in 2006. The scandal also sparked unproved charges of illegal campaign contributions from Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army is a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization based in Colombia which is involved in the ongoing Colombian armed conflict, currently involved in drug dealing and crimes against the civilians..FARC-EP is a peasant army which...
and political connections to the assassination of Celso Daniel
Celso Daniel
Celso Augusto Daniel was the mayor in 2002 for the third time of the city of Santo André in São Paulo, Brazil, as a representative of the Workers' Party...
, mayor of the city of Santo André.
Origins
On September 18, 2004, the major Brazilian weekly magazine VejaVeja (magazine)
Veja is a Brazilian weekly newsmagazine published in São Paulo and distributed throughout the country by the media conglomerate Grupo Abril. It is the leading weekly publication in the country, and one of the most influential outlets of the Brazilian press...
printed a cover story entitled, "The scandal of the purchase of the PTB by the PT". The article described the development of the alliance between the Workers Party (PT) and the Brazilian Labour Party
Brazilian Labour Party (current)
The Brazilian Labour Party is a center-right political party in Brazil founded in 1981 by Ivete Vargas, niece of President Getúlio Vargas. It claims the legacy of the historical PTB, although many historians reject this because the early version of PTB was a center-left party with wide support in...
(PTB). According to the magazine, the Workers' Party had promised that it would pay R$150,000 to each PTB congressional deputy if they would give their support to the Executive. Allegedly, because these promises were not fulfilled, a storm of allegations of corruption against the PT began to appear in May 2005.
On September 24, 2004, the Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
newspaper Jornal do Brasil
Jornal do Brasil
Jornal do Brasil, widely known as JB, is a daily newspaper published by Editora JB in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was founded in 1891 and is the third oldest existent Brazilian paper, after the Diário de Pernambuco and O Estado de São Paulo....
published the story: "Miro denounces bribery in Congress". The article cited Veja and claimed that the former Minister of Communications Miro Teixeira
Miro Teixeira
Miro Teixeira - Brazilian politician and journalist.Teixeira operates from a political base in Rio de Janeiro. He began his career with the Brazilian Democratic Movement , an opposition party to the military regime...
had revealed the existence of the monthly payments to the Public Prosecution Ministry.
On September 25, 2004, the Jornal do Brasil
Jornal do Brasil
Jornal do Brasil, widely known as JB, is a daily newspaper published by Editora JB in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was founded in 1891 and is the third oldest existent Brazilian paper, after the Diário de Pernambuco and O Estado de São Paulo....
published another story claiming that the President of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies João Paulo Cunha
João Paulo Cunha
João Paulo Cunha is a deputy of the Brazilian Workers Party from São Paulo and was elected president of the House of Representatives in 2003. He left this position in 2005.-References:...
(PT) had promised that he would fully investigate the claims. According to the newspaper, the President of PPS
PPS
PPS may refer to:In commerce and industry* Participating preferred stock or participating preferred share* Purchasing Power Standard* Pay Per Sale, a payment method used in affiliate marketing....
Roberto Freire
Roberto Freire
Roberto João Pereira Freire is a Brazilian politician. He is president of the Socialist People's Party and federal deputy from Pernambuco.-References:...
commented: "This subject has been circulating for months in Congress but nobody has the courage to approach it."
The scandal arises
On May 14, 2005, Veja published a new story describing an apparent corruption scheme in the Brazilian Postal Service. The magazine described the content of a 110 minute video tape recording, made with a hidden camera, which showed former Post Office Chief Maurício Marinho involved in an apparent bribe negotiation with a businessman. The full bribery scheme involving government contracts would be administered by the Post Office administration director Antônio Osório Batista and by the Post Office manager and Congressional deputy Roberto JeffersonRoberto Jefferson
Roberto Jefferson Monteiro Francisco is a Brazilian politician. He was born on June 14, 1953 in Petrópolis, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. He is the son of Neusa Dalva Monteiro Francisco and Roberto Francisco...
(PTB).
In the tape, Marinho receives and then pockets R$3,000 (about 1,259 USD) in cash. The recording was aired by the major Brazilian television stations.
Agents from the Brazilian Intelligence Agency
Brazilian Intelligence Agency
The Brazilian Intelligence Agency is the successor organization to the Serviço Nacional de Informações or National Information Service formed during the government of Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco in the mid-1960s....
(ABIN) took part in investigating the Post Office case. As the scandal developed this involvement was argued to be linked to an attempt to destroy the PT's former allies without the scandal exploding upon the government.
However, a major political battle began when the government tried to systematically obstruct the installation of a Parliamentary Commission of Investigation (CPI) to investigate the growing corruption scandal.
On June 3, 2005 the newspaper Folha de São Paulo published the story claiming that the government was tying funds to various projects to support of the installation of the CPI.
Because of these claims, part of the government's base joined the opposition to support the installation of a Parliamentary Commission of Investigation. Abandoned by his allies, Jefferson began to counterattack. On June 6, the newspaper Folha de São Paulo published an interview with Jefferson. Jefferson claimed that Delúbio Soares
Delúbio Soares
Delúbio Soares de Castro is a Brazilian party bureaucrat involved in the large mensalão scandal.A native of Goiás, he is a teacher of mathematics and former treasurer of the Brazilian Workers Party....
, the treasurer of Workers' Party, was administering a monthly payment of R$ 30 thousand to certain Congressional deputies, in order to influence them to vote with the government.
Roberto Jefferson claimed that those who received the monthly payment called it mensalão, a derivation of the word in Portuguese for monthly payment. The word "mensalão" quickly became the adopted popular label for the scandal, now identified as the "escândalo do mensalão."
According to Jefferson, the operator of the payment scheme was the businessman Marcos Valério de Souza, one of the owners of the advertising agencies SMP&B and DNA, which had large contracts with the government.
After the installation of the Investigation Commission the government allegedly tried to control the commission by installing allies Senator Delcídio Amaral (PT) as President and Deputy Osmar Serraglio (PMDB
Party of the Brazilian Democratic Movement
The Brazilian Democratic Movement Party is the successor of the Brazilian Democratic Movement. It is a big tent party, including a range of politicians from conservatives as José Sarney to liberals as Pedro Simon, left-liberals as Roberto Requião, populists as Íris Resende, nationalists as Orestes...
) as the key reporter.
Although the Congressional Commission of Investigation for the Post Office scandal subject was officially restricted to the investigation of irregularities in the Post Office administration, it began to investigate the expanding monthly payment claims because of the apparent connections between the cases.
An additional commission for the broader scandal was officially installed on July 20. Allies of the government occupy the key posts; the President of the CPI is the Senator Amir Lando and the reporter (responsible for writing the final report) the Deputy Ibrahim Abi-Ackel
Ibrahim Abi-Ackel
Ibrahim Abi-Ackel is a Brazilian politician.Ackel began his public life in 1955 as councilman in the city of Manhuaçu, Minas Gerais.Ackel was Minister of Justice in the government of Joao Figueiredo from 1980 to 1985.-External links:...
. Abi-Ackel was minister of justice in the government of João Baptista Figueiredo, and he was also accused of involvement in a corruption scandal.
José Dirceu was a rebel fighter against right wing military dictatorship establish on 1964, arrested in 68, he was liberated as one of the political prisoners released at the request of the kidnapers of Ambassador of the United States and took a flight to Cuba from where he came back to Brazil after having changed his face with a plastic surgery. While back in Brazil he hides in a small place in State of Paraná and played the role of a shop owner. During all this time he has not engaged in any guerrilla action, he was a student union leader. He married a girl and didn't tell her his true identity even after having a son with her, only after 1979 when a political amnesty was declared, and then he reengaged his open political life, fighting for democratic presidential elections and the end of the dictatorship regime.
Dirceu was ousted from the position as Chief of Staff of President Lula as the consequence of a scandal resulting from his participation in a corrupt group nicknamed by Lula as the “aloprados” (the mad-dog gang).
The scandal's development
José Genoíno
José Genoino Guimarães Neto is a Brazilian politician.Born in Quixeramobim in the state of Ceará, he fought as a guerrilla in one of the movements against the Brazilian military leaders Emílio Garrastazu Médici and Ernesto Geisel who ruled Brazil in the seventies...
, was seized at an airport with $100,000 in his underwear and additional funds in his luggage. The wives and secretaries of key figures testified in the numerous and overlapping Congressional panels, including Valério's secretary, Fernanda Karina Somaggio, and the ex-wife of Valdemar Costa Neto
Valdemar Costa Neto
Valdemar Costa Neto is a Brazilian politician. He is a congressman for the Republic Party, former Liberal Party .-References:...
, Maria Christina Mendes Caldeira. The Congressional hearings were often marked by fiery rhetoric and emotional outbursts, including numerous incidents of crying by witnesses and Workers' Party deputies. Although still murky and unclear, reported links between the scandal, its key figures, and the murder of Santo André's mayor Celso Daniel
Celso Daniel
Celso Augusto Daniel was the mayor in 2002 for the third time of the city of Santo André in São Paulo, Brazil, as a representative of the Workers' Party...
and various mafia and criminal figures have only intensified its sensational tone and societal impact.
One key event that broadened the scandal into more of a general investigation of the Workers' Party history as whole was the sudden testimony of Duda Mendonça
Duda Mendonça
José Eduardo Cavalcanti de Mendonça, known as Duda Mendonça, is one of the principal advertising and political strategist specialists in Brazil...
, public relations specialist and campaign manager for Lula's 2002 campaign, on August 11. He claimed that he was paid using off-shore bank accounts and possibly illegal funds connected to Valério.
The scandal, which had at that time not yet involved Brazil's finance minister who is often claimed to be popular with the international finance community, threatened Antonio Palocci
Antonio Palocci
Antonio Palocci Filho is a Brazilian physician and politician, and former Chief of Staff of Brazil under President Dilma Rousseff . He was the Finance minister of the Brazilian federal government from January 1, 2003 until March 27, 2006 , during the presidency of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva...
's standing after lawyer and former advisor Rogério Tadeu Buratti testified that Palocci was involved in corrupt activities while mayor of Ribeirão Preto
Ribeirão Preto
Ribeirão Preto is a municipality and city in the Northeastern region of the state of São Paulo in Brazil. It is nicknamed Brazilian California, because of a combination of an economy based on agrobusiness plus high technology, wealth and sunny weather all year long. With 605,114 inhabitants,...
in the mid-90's.
Although Lula's popularity waxed and waned, no definite proof emerged that he orchestrated or had knowledge of any monthly payments. Most of the PT's leadership was affected in some way, with many resigning or failing to win re-election. Brazil's economy was widely perceived as not having been substantially impacted by the scandal.
Roberto Jefferson, who initially sparked the scandal, was expelled from the Chamber of Deputies on September 14, 2005 for ethical violations determined by the Congressional Council of Ethics. Despite continued resignations from figure involved, in October the scandal died down somewhat as Brazil had a referendum on gun sales that resulted in a loss for the government's position. At the end of October, Veja published a new story claiming that the Workers' Party had received illegal campaign funds from Cuba—threatening to re-intensify the scandal once again, though that was not ultimately the case.
First joint preliminary CPI report
The report accused 18 Brazilian deputies of involvement in the corruption scandal:
- Carlos Rodrigues (PLLiberal Party (Brazil)The Liberal Party was a conservative political party of Brazil, merged in the Republic Party. The Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus had been taking part in Brazilian elections through PL, but the church has now partially left it to create a new centrist party named Partido Republicano Brasileiro...
-Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro (state)Rio de Janeiro is one of the 27 states of Brazil.Rio de Janeiro has the second largest economy of Brazil behind only São Paulo state.The state of Rio de Janeiro is located within the Brazilian geopolitical region classified as the Southeast...
) - José JaneneJosé JaneneJosé Mohamed Janene was a Brazilian businessman, cowman and politician. He had many farms and ran many companies, mostly in Londrina, where he lived...
(PPProgressive Party (Brazil)The Progressive party is a centre-right Brazilian political party embracing conservatism and elements of populism and liberalism....
-ParanáParaná (state)Paraná is one of the states of Brazil, located in the South of the country, bordered on the north by São Paulo state, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Santa Catarina state and the Misiones Province of Argentina, and on the west by Mato Grosso do Sul and the republic of Paraguay,...
) - Pedro Corrêa (PP-PernambucoPernambucoPernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the...
) - Pedro Henry (PP-Mato Grosso do SulMato Grosso do SulMato Grosso do Sul is one of the states of Brazil.Neighboring Brazilian states are Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Paraná. It also borders the countries of Paraguay and Bolivia to the west. The economy of the state is largely based on agriculture and cattle-raising...
) - Sandro Mabel (PL-GoiásGoiásGoiás is a state of Brazil, located in the central part of the country. The name Goiás comes from the name of an indigenous community...
) - João Magno (PT-Minas GeraisMinas GeraisMinas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
) - João Paulo CunhaJoão Paulo CunhaJoão Paulo Cunha is a deputy of the Brazilian Workers Party from São Paulo and was elected president of the House of Representatives in 2003. He left this position in 2005.-References:...
(PT-São PauloSão Paulo (state)São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...
) - José Borba (PMDBParty of the Brazilian Democratic MovementThe Brazilian Democratic Movement Party is the successor of the Brazilian Democratic Movement. It is a big tent party, including a range of politicians from conservatives as José Sarney to liberals as Pedro Simon, left-liberals as Roberto Requião, populists as Íris Resende, nationalists as Orestes...
-Paraná) - Josias Gomes da Silva (PT-BahiaBahiaBahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
) - Paulo Rocha (PT-Bahia)
- Professor Luizinho (PT-São Paulo)
- Vadão Gomes (PP-São Paulo)
- Vanderval Santos (PL-São Paulo)
- José Mentor (PT-São Paulo)
- Roberto Brant (PFL-Minas Gerais)
- José DirceuJosé DirceuJosé Dirceu de Oliveira e Silva is a Brazilian politician.He participated in a revolutionary armed group following the Brazilian military coup of 1964, and was exiled in 1969. He returned in 1980 and was active politically, his highest post was as the chief-of-staff to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's...
(PT-São Paulo) - Roberto JeffersonRoberto JeffersonRoberto Jefferson Monteiro Francisco is a Brazilian politician. He was born on June 14, 1953 in Petrópolis, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. He is the son of Neusa Dalva Monteiro Francisco and Roberto Francisco...
(PTB-Rio de Janeiro)
In the report they are accused of misdeeds including illegal campaign finance activities, placing cronies in strategic positions in government enterprises and receiving kickbacks in return, and receiving cash payments in exchange for voting with the government in the Brazilian Congress.
In regard to the claims initially made by deputy Roberto Jefferson (PTB) the report states:
- Everything he said that could be investigated was revealed to appear to be valid, including his own confessions.
- Everything he said when compared to other testimonies showed a great degree of validity.
The report stated that several documents were identified and validated proving that large sums of money were withdrawn from agencies of the Rural Bank in Brasilia
Brasília
Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
and Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte is the capital of and largest city in the state of Minas Gerais, located in the southeastern region of Brazil. It is the third largest metropolitan area in the country...
, as well as from the bank accounts of the enterprises SMPB and DNA. According to the documents, the beneficiaries were federal deputies who received funds in person or through relatives, advisers, or individuals chosen by Marcos Valério
Marcos Valério
Marcos Valério Fernandes de Souza is a Brazilian businessman in the field of public relations and a key figure in the mensalão scandal. He is the owner of two communications firms, DNA and SMP&B.- Early life :...
.
The report affirmed that it was possible that some payments were made on a monthly basis and others more or less frequently. The presence of the scheme at all, however, was to deemed to be of greater importance than the timing of the payments.
The editors of the CPI report called the defense made by some parliamentarians that the funds were used to settle debts from electoral campaigns a "lame excuse".
Timing of key withdrawals and votes
Documents from the Council for Control of Financial Activities (Conselho de Controle de Atividades Financeiras [Coaf]) indicate that between July and May 2003, withdrawals of 27 million reais were made from the accounts of businessman Marcos ValérioMarcos Valério
Marcos Valério Fernandes de Souza is a Brazilian businessman in the field of public relations and a key figure in the mensalão scandal. He is the owner of two communications firms, DNA and SMP&B.- Early life :...
.
According to deputy Roberto Jefferson
Roberto Jefferson
Roberto Jefferson Monteiro Francisco is a Brazilian politician. He was born on June 14, 1953 in Petrópolis, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. He is the son of Neusa Dalva Monteiro Francisco and Roberto Francisco...
, the money for the mensalão came from Banco Rural and the Banco do Brasil
Banco do Brasil
Banco do Brasil S.A. is the largest Brazilian and Latin American bank by assets, and the third by market value. The bank, headquartered in Brasília, was founded in 1808 and is the oldest active bank in Brazil — and one of the oldest financial institutions in the world.Banco do Brasil is controlled...
. Documents from Coaf validate the withdrawals from Banco Rural; the withdrawals from the Banco do Brasil have not yet been traced.
The table below shows a side-by-side description of some of the withdrawals and connected votes in the Chamber of Deputies and Senate of Brazil.
| Vote | Withdrawal | |
|---|---|---|
| Tax reform approved, September 24, 2003 | R$ 1.212 million between September 23, 25, and 26, 2003 | |
| Modified Tax reform bill in Senate, December 17, 2003 | R$ 470 thousand between December 17 and 19, 2003 | |
| Provisional measure for the minimum wage approved in the House, June 2, 2004 | R$ 500 thousand | |
| Provisional measure for minimum wage approved June 23 in the House after being passed in the Senate | R$ 200 thousand | |
| Status of the Central Bank President, December 1, 2004 (House) | R$ 480 thousand on November 29 and 30, 2004 | |
| Bingo reform approved, March 30, 2004 (House) | R$ 200 thousand on March 29, 2004 | |
| Social Security reform approved (first round, House), August 5, 2003 | R$ 200 thousand on August 6, 2003 | |
| Social Security reform approved (second round, House), August 27, 2003 | R$ 200 thousand between August 25 and 26 | |
| Social Security reform approved (Senate), November 26, 2003 | R$ 400 thousand November 26 and 26, 2003 | |
| Social Security reform approved (Senate, second round), December 11, 2003 | R$ 120 thousand, December 10, 2003 | |
Source: Reuters.
Workers Party
- José DirceuJosé DirceuJosé Dirceu de Oliveira e Silva is a Brazilian politician.He participated in a revolutionary armed group following the Brazilian military coup of 1964, and was exiled in 1969. He returned in 1980 and was active politically, his highest post was as the chief-of-staff to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's...
, accused by Jefferson to be the head of the scheme - José GenoínoJosé GenoínoJosé Genoino Guimarães Neto is a Brazilian politician.Born in Quixeramobim in the state of Ceará, he fought as a guerrilla in one of the movements against the Brazilian military leaders Emílio Garrastazu Médici and Ernesto Geisel who ruled Brazil in the seventies...
, President of the PT, suspected in relationship to money found in the underwear of the adviser to his brother, the deputy José Guimarães - Delúbio SoaresDelúbio SoaresDelúbio Soares de Castro is a Brazilian party bureaucrat involved in the large mensalão scandal.A native of Goiás, he is a teacher of mathematics and former treasurer of the Brazilian Workers Party....
, Treasurer of the PT - Marcelo Sereno, National leader of PT
- Silvio PereiraSilvio PereiraSilvio José Pereira is a sociologist and co-founder of the Brazilian Workers Party. Born in Osasco, São Paulo, he was a key figure in the mensalão scandal and resigned from his post of secretary general of the party on June 4, 2005....
, National leader PT, received a Land RoverLand RoverLand Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
from a supplier to PetrobrasPetrobrasPetróleo Brasileiro or Petrobras is a semi-public Brazilian multinational energy corporation headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the largest company in Latin America by market capitalization and revenue, and the largest company headquartered in the Southern Hemisphere by market... - João Paulo CunhaJoão Paulo CunhaJoão Paulo Cunha is a deputy of the Brazilian Workers Party from São Paulo and was elected president of the House of Representatives in 2003. He left this position in 2005.-References:...
(PT-São Paulo) - Ex-president of the House. His wife was identified by people visiting the Banco Rural in Brasília - Paulo Rocha (PT-Pará) - Ex-leader of the PT in the House. An adviser of his was seen outside of the Banco Rural.
- Professor Luizinho (PT-São Paulo) - Ex-leader of the government in the House, had an adviser who received R$ 20 mil from Marcos Valério.
- José Mentor (PT-São Paulo) - His office received R$ 60 from a Banco Rural account of Marcos Valério
- José Nobre Guimarães (PT-CearáCearáCeará is one of the 27 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is currently the 8th largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the main touristic destinations in Brazil. The state capital is the city of...
) - Brother of party chief José Genuíno. His adviser was found with US$ 100,000.00 in his underwear and R$ 200,000.00 in a suitcase. Guimarães was also accused of receiving R$ 250,000.00 from the accounts of Marcos Valério. - José Adalberto Vieira da Silva (PT-Ceará) adviser to José Nobre Guimarães, found with hidden money in his underpants.
- Josias Gomes (PT-Bahia) - suspected of personally withdrawing R$ 100 thousands from the accounts of Marcos Valério.
- Luiz GushikenLuiz GushikenLuiz Gushiken is a Brazilian activist and politician. He was formerly the head of the social communication office of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's administration, a position which carried a ministerial rank....
, ex-communication secretary, accused of issues relating to his former firms
Allied figures
These figures are members of other parties that gave political support to the Workers' Party before the scandal: PTB, PP, PL, and the PMDB.- Roberto JeffersonRoberto JeffersonRoberto Jefferson Monteiro Francisco is a Brazilian politician. He was born on June 14, 1953 in Petrópolis, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. He is the son of Neusa Dalva Monteiro Francisco and Roberto Francisco...
(PTB-Rio de Janeiro) - Deputy who sparked the scandal with his initial allegations. Accused of operating a corruption scheme using state enterprises and the Post Office. Also accused of receiving millions of dollars from Marcos Valério to assist the PTB without declaring it to the electoral authorities. - José Carlos MartinezJosé Carlos MartínezJosé Carlos Martínez was an Argentine politician, formerly of ARI. He sat in the Argentine Senate representing Tierra del Fuego Province....
(PTB-Paraná) - Deputy who has already died. Accused of receiving R$ 1,000,000.00 - José JaneneJosé JaneneJosé Mohamed Janene was a Brazilian businessman, cowman and politician. He had many farms and ran many companies, mostly in Londrina, where he lived...
(PP-Paraná) - Cited by Jefferson since the start of the scandal. Accused of distributing the Mensalão to the parliamentary group of the PP. His involvement was confirmed in testimony by his advisor João Cláudio Genu to the Federal Police, who confessed to making the withdrawals and delivering the money to the treasury of the PP. - Pedro Corrêa (PP-PernambucoPernambucoPernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the...
) - President of the PP, also accused by Jefferson and incriminated by Genu. - Pedro Henry (PP-Mato Grosso) - Ex-leader of the House, also implicated in the testimony of Genu.
- José Borba (PMDB-Paraná) - Ex-leader of the PMDB in the House. Is accused of receiving R$ 2.1 million by the financial director of Valério's firm SMPB, but of refusing to sign the receipt for the withdrawal (forcing an employee of SMPB to go to the bank branch to release the payment)
- Valdemar Costa NetoValdemar Costa NetoValdemar Costa Neto is a Brazilian politician. He is a congressman for the Republic Party, former Liberal Party .-References:...
(PL-São Paulo) - Accused of being the distributor of the Mensalão to the bench of the PL. His ex-treasurer, Jacinto Lamas, is accused of being the main beneficiery listed in the withdrawals from the accounts of Marcos Valério in Banco Rural, receiving R$ 10,837,500. To avoid the process of removal from Congress, on August 1 he resigned before an inquiry could be opened. - Bishop Rodrigues (PL-Rio de Janeiro) - Coordinated the grouping of members of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of GodUniversal Church of the Kingdom of GodUniversal Church of the Kingdom of God is a Pentecostal Christian organisation established in Brazil on July 9, 1977, with a presence in many countries...
in the House. Accused of receiving R$ 150,000. Was afterwards expelled from the church. - Anderson Adauto (PL-Minas Gerais) - Ex-Minister of Transportation, accused of receiving, through the intermediary of his cabinet chief, one million reals from Marcos Valério.
Opposition
- Eduardo Azeredo - (PSDB-Minas Gerais). Not accused of involvement in the mensalão, he is accused of receiving money from Marcos Valério to be used in an off-book accounting scheme for campaign for the Governor of Minas Gerais in 1998. In response to this accusations, in hope to preserve his party's reputation, Azeredo leaves his position as PSDB's national president in October, 2005.
- Roberto Brant - Deputy of the PFL from Minas Gerais who is accused of having received funds from Valerio. The fact that Brant who is a member of a party opposed to the government is notable. Brant argued that the money he received was from the business Usiminas, which was not declared as an official donor. Valério denied the claim and Usiminas refused to comment.
Others
- Marcos ValérioMarcos ValérioMarcos Valério Fernandes de Souza is a Brazilian businessman in the field of public relations and a key figure in the mensalão scandal. He is the owner of two communications firms, DNA and SMP&B.- Early life :...
- Businessman. Accused of being the operator of the "mensalão", he supposedly operated several public relations firms and advertising agencies whose bank accounts were used to distribute funds to members of the Workers' Party and other allied Brazilian parties. He is also accused of participating of Eduardo Azeredo's off-book accounting. - Duda MendonçaDuda MendonçaJosé Eduardo Cavalcanti de Mendonça, known as Duda Mendonça, is one of the principal advertising and political strategist specialists in Brazil...
- Campaign manager and public relations specialist who led Lula Presidential campaign. His partner, Zilmar da Silveira, appears as a recipient of funds from Marcos Valério (R$ 15,500,000.00). - Fernanda Karina Somaggio - Secretary of Marcos Valério. Her datebook was seized by the Federal Police. She confirmed the Valério's connection to Delúbio Soares and with other deputies accused of involvement in the corruption scheme. Also charged that payments were made with suitcases filled with money.
- Renilda Soares - Valério's wife. Accused José Dirceu of having full knowledge of the corruption scheme.
- Toninho da Barcelona - also known as Antonio Oliveira Claramunt. One of the principal Brazil foreign exchange specialists. Arrested for illegal financial activities, he alleged that he did various exchanges for the PT and other parties. He claimed the PT maintained a secret foreign bank account.
- Rogério Buratti - ex-advisor to Antonio PalocciAntonio PalocciAntonio Palocci Filho is a Brazilian physician and politician, and former Chief of Staff of Brazil under President Dilma Rousseff . He was the Finance minister of the Brazilian federal government from January 1, 2003 until March 27, 2006 , during the presidency of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva...
. Arrested by police on August 16, 2005. He is accused of participating in fraud in contracts between the local district of Ribeirão Preto and garbage collection firms, money laundering, and extortion. Claimed that during the administration of Antonio Palocci there was a corruption scheme to divert funds to the Workes' Party. - Sérgio Gomes da Silva, "the Shadow" - Businessman and ex-body guard for the mayor of Santo André Celso DanielCelso DanielCelso Augusto Daniel was the mayor in 2002 for the third time of the city of Santo André in São Paulo, Brazil, as a representative of the Workers' Party...
. He is accused of having ordered the assassination of the mayor. - Maria Christina Mendes Caldeira - ex-wife of the deputy Valdemar Costa Neto. Accused her former husband of receiving the mensalão and of receiving an irregular donation from Taiwanese businessmen.
State companies
- Furnas
- EletronuclearEletronuclearEletronuclear is a nuclear power company, which was established in 1997 in Brazil. It operates Angra Nuclear Power Plant. Eletronuclear is a wholly owned subsidiary of Eletrobrás....
- PetrobrasPetrobrasPetróleo Brasileiro or Petrobras is a semi-public Brazilian multinational energy corporation headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the largest company in Latin America by market capitalization and revenue, and the largest company headquartered in the Southern Hemisphere by market...
- Instituto de Resseguros do BrasilInstituto de Resseguros do BrasilThe Instituto de Resseguros do Brasil, the Reinsurance Institute of Brazil is a joint venture with state control, which operates in the market for reinsurance....
(IRB) - Empresa Brasileira de Correios e Telégrafos (EBCT)
- Previ
Private companies
- Guaranhuns (front company)
- DNA (business of Marcos Valério)
- SMP&B (business of Marcos Valério, Cristiano Paz and Ramon Cardoso)
Financial institutions
- Banco Rural: used by Marcos Valério for his operations
- Banco do BrasilBanco do BrasilBanco do Brasil S.A. is the largest Brazilian and Latin American bank by assets, and the third by market value. The bank, headquartered in Brasília, was founded in 1808 and is the oldest active bank in Brazil — and one of the oldest financial institutions in the world.Banco do Brasil is controlled...
: used by Marcos Valério for his operations - Banco BMG: used by Marcos Valério for his operations
Portugal
The local branches or subsidiaries of the following PortugalPortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
-based multinational companies were allegedly involved:
- Portugal TelecomPortugal TelecomPortugal Telecom is the largest telecommunications service provider in Portugal. Although it operates mainly in Portugal and Brazil, it has also a significant presence in Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Timor-Leste, Angola, Kenya, the People's Republic of China, and São Tomé and...
- TAP PortugalTAP PortugalTAP Portugal, commonly known as TAP, is the national airline of Portugal. It has its head office in Building 25 on the grounds of Portela Airport in Lisbon, and has been a member of the Star Alliance since 14 March 2005, the same day on which the company celebrated its 60th anniversary...
- Banco Espírito SantoBanco Espírito SantoBanco Espírito Santo is a private Portuguese bank, based in Lisbon.The Banco Espírito Santo’s origins began with the lottery, currency exchange and securities business carried out by José Maria do Espírito Santo e Silva between 1869 and 1884...
Congressional Committees of Investigation (CPIs)
The following CPIs are involved in the investigation of issues that are related to the overall Cash-for-Vote scandal. http://noticias.terra.com.br/brasil/crisenogoverno/interna/0,,OI648487-EI5297,00.html- Post Office CPI: Created June 9, 2005 to investigate alleged irregularities and corruption in the Brazilian Post Office. After the claims by Deputy Roberto Jefferson, this CPI began investigation into the alleged payments made to Brazilian deputies by the ruling party. The termination of the committee's work is scheduled for February 21, 2006.
- Bingo CPI: Created on June 19, 2005 to investigate the use of houses of Bingo gambling for money laundering and the relationship between these houses and organized crime. The CPI was proposed after a tape revealed that the Waldomiro Diniz (an advisor to the Minister José Dirceu) was apparently extorting the gambling mafia of Rio de Janeiro to gain funds for Workers' Party political campaigns. The termination of the committee's work is scheduled for October 26, 2005.
- Vote Buying CPI: Created July 20, 2005 to investigate the alleged monthly payments to deputies. The Workers' Party requests a parallel investigation of the electoral reform to allow a second term for ex-President Fernando Henrique CardosoFernando Henrique CardosoFernando Henrique Cardoso – also known by his initials FHC – was the 34th President of the Federative Republic of Brazil for two terms from January 1, 1995 to December 31, 2002. He is an accomplished sociologist, professor and politician...
(PSDB). The termination of the committee's work is scheduled for November 16, 2005.
Also there was a movement instigated by members of opposition in order to create a fourth CPI to investigate off-book accounts in all parties' during the most recent elections. Due to serial allegations of the occurring of this kind of operation in many politicians' campaigns in 2002, including President Lula's, many believed this CPI could result in a legal and concrete reason to start his impeachment process. However this process was aborted.
Ethics' Council
The council of Ethics and Parliamentary Decorum of the House is the organ responsible for processing and disciplining members for behavior not in concordance with Parliamentary Decorum.In order to expel a deputy, 257 votes out of 513 are needed. If expelled, in addition to losing his seat in the Congress and parliamentary privileges and immunity, the member can be barred from holding any public office for eight years. Jefferson will be prohibited from running for office again until 2015.
http://www.radiobras.gov.br/materia_i_2004.php?materia=238245&editoria=
http://www2.camara.gov.br/conheca/eticaedecoro/index.html
Supreme Court Indictment
On August 24, 2007, the Supreme Federal Tribunal, responsible for judging criminal proceedings against parliamentarians due to parliamentary immunityParliamentary immunity
Parliamentary immunity, also known as legislative immunity, is a system in which members of the parliament or legislature are granted partial immunity from prosecution. Before prosecuting, it is necessary that the immunity be removed, usually by a superior court of justice or by the parliament itself...
, accepted the indictments of 40 individuals relating to the Mensalão scandal, most which are former or current federal deputies, all of which were or still allies of Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , known popularly as Lula, served as the 35th President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.A founding member of the Workers' Party , he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in the 2002 election, and was inaugurated as...
.
Figures losing their posts as a result of the scandal
- Mauricio Marinho, Post Office Chief, May 14
- The director of the Post Office Administration, Antonio Osório Batista and his immediately assistant Fernando Godoy, May 16
- Luiz Appolonio Neto, President of the IRBInstituto de Resseguros do BrasilThe Instituto de Resseguros do Brasil, the Reinsurance Institute of Brazil is a joint venture with state control, which operates in the market for reinsurance....
, May 21 - The leadership of the Correios and of the IRBInstituto de Resseguros do BrasilThe Instituto de Resseguros do Brasil, the Reinsurance Institute of Brazil is a joint venture with state control, which operates in the market for reinsurance....
, June 7 - The directors of electrical firms: Dimas Fabiano Toledo, Rodrigo Botelho Campos e José Roberto Cesaroni Cury, June 30
- José DirceuJosé DirceuJosé Dirceu de Oliveira e Silva is a Brazilian politician.He participated in a revolutionary armed group following the Brazilian military coup of 1964, and was exiled in 1969. He returned in 1980 and was active politically, his highest post was as the chief-of-staff to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's...
, Presidential Chief of StaffChief of Staff of BrazilThe Chief of Staff of the Presidency of the Republic is the highest-ranking member of the Executive Office of Brazil, and a senior aide to the President.In Brazil, the Chief of Staff is a member of the president's cabinet, with the rank of Minister....
, June 14 - Roberto JeffersonRoberto JeffersonRoberto Jefferson Monteiro Francisco is a Brazilian politician. He was born on June 14, 1953 in Petrópolis, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. He is the son of Neusa Dalva Monteiro Francisco and Roberto Francisco...
, President of PTB, June 17 - Silvio PereiraSilvio PereiraSilvio José Pereira is a sociologist and co-founder of the Brazilian Workers Party. Born in Osasco, São Paulo, he was a key figure in the mensalão scandal and resigned from his post of secretary general of the party on June 4, 2005....
, Secretary-General of the PT, July 4 - Delúbio SoaresDelúbio SoaresDelúbio Soares de Castro is a Brazilian party bureaucrat involved in the large mensalão scandal.A native of Goiás, he is a teacher of mathematics and former treasurer of the Brazilian Workers Party....
, Treasurer of PT, July 5 - Glenio Guedes, Directory of the Conselho de Recursos do Sistema Financeiro, July 6
- José Adalberto Vieira da Silva, Aide to the deputy José Nobre Guimarães, July 8
- José Nobre Guimarães, Manager of the state directory of the PT-CE, July 9
- José GenoinoJosé GenoínoJosé Genoino Guimarães Neto is a Brazilian politician.Born in Quixeramobim in the state of Ceará, he fought as a guerrilla in one of the movements against the Brazilian military leaders Emílio Garrastazu Médici and Ernesto Geisel who ruled Brazil in the seventies...
, President of the Workers' Party (PT), July 9 - Marcelo Sereno, Communication Secretary of the PT, July 9
- Henrique Pizzolato, Director of marketing of the Banco do BrasilBanco do BrasilBanco do Brasil S.A. is the largest Brazilian and Latin American bank by assets, and the third by market value. The bank, headquartered in Brasília, was founded in 1808 and is the oldest active bank in Brazil — and one of the oldest financial institutions in the world.Banco do Brasil is controlled...
, July 10 - Luiz GushikenLuiz GushikenLuiz Gushiken is a Brazilian activist and politician. He was formerly the head of the social communication office of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's administration, a position which carried a ministerial rank....
, Ministério da Comunicação e Gestão Estratégica was relegated downwards, July 12. - Luiz GushikenLuiz GushikenLuiz Gushiken is a Brazilian activist and politician. He was formerly the head of the social communication office of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's administration, a position which carried a ministerial rank....
was downgraded again. Left position as at Secretary of Communication to become an adviser to President LulaLuiz Inácio Lula da SilvaLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva , known popularly as Lula, served as the 35th President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.A founding member of the Workers' Party , he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in the 2002 election, and was inaugurated as...
, July 21 - Valdemar Costa NetoValdemar Costa NetoValdemar Costa Neto is a Brazilian politician. He is a congressman for the Republic Party, former Liberal Party .-References:...
, Federal deputy and president of the Liberal Party (PL), resigned his mandate, August 1 - Marcio LacerdaMarcio LacerdaMarcio Araújo de Lacerda is the current Mayor of Belo Horizonte in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Marcio Lacerda is a member of the Brazilian Socialist Party .-References:...
, Executive Secretary in the Ministry of National Integration, August 2 - Manoel Severino, President of the Casa da Moeda do Brasil, tendered resignation, August 3
- Danilo de Camargo, Coordinator of the Commission of Ethics in the PT, August 6
- Juscelino Antonio Dourado, Cabinet chief of Finance Minister, September 1
External links
- Lula's scandal-hit ally impeached December 1, 2005.
- "Brazil markets fall on rates, political woes." ReutersReutersReuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
. August 18, 2005. - Vasconcelos, Luciana. "PT's National Committee begs the nation's pardon." Agencia BrasilAgência BrasilRadiobras or Agência Brasil or ABr is the national broadcaster and a government agency of Brazil. The name is a portmanteau of Radiodifusão Brasil . Radiobras operates several radio stations and TV stations throughout the country. It is also involved in international broadcasting, primarily on...
. August 18, 2005. - "Lula apologizes but is unconvincing." MercoPressMercoPressMercoPress is an independent online news agency based in Montevideo, Uruguay. It operates since 1996 and provides information focused on Latin America and the South Atlantic in general, with a particular emphasis on Mercosur member countries and covering the region's insular territories, mainly...
. August 13, 2005. - Blount, Jeb. "Brazil's Workers' Party Suspends Ex-Treasurer Delubio Soares." BloombergBloomberg L.P.Bloomberg L.P. is an American privately held financial software, media, and data company. Bloomberg makes up one third of the $16 billion global financial data market with estimated revenue of $6.9 billion. Bloomberg L.P...
. August 7, 2005. - Franzin, Adriana . "Valerio denies negotiating funds for PT and PTB with Portugal Telecom." Agencia BrasilAgência BrasilRadiobras or Agência Brasil or ABr is the national broadcaster and a government agency of Brazil. The name is a portmanteau of Radiodifusão Brasil . Radiobras operates several radio stations and TV stations throughout the country. It is also involved in international broadcasting, primarily on...
. August 3, 2005. - Guerreiro, Gabriela; Lourenço, Iolando; Bennett, Allen. "Dirceu denies everything and says he will not resign" Agencia BrasilAgência BrasilRadiobras or Agência Brasil or ABr is the national broadcaster and a government agency of Brazil. The name is a portmanteau of Radiodifusão Brasil . Radiobras operates several radio stations and TV stations throughout the country. It is also involved in international broadcasting, primarily on...
. August 3, 2005. - "Previ Ex-Chairman Questions Telecom Deal With Citigroup-Paper." Dow Jones & CompanyDow Jones & CompanyDow Jones & Company is an American publishing and financial information firm.The company was founded in 1882 by three reporters: Charles Dow, Edward Jones, and Charles Bergstresser. Like The New York Times and the Washington Post, the company was in recent years publicly traded but privately...
. July 25, 2005. - Américo dos Reis, Flávio. "Brazil: Major Bribes-for-Votes Scandal Threatens to Topple Da Silva." Worldpress.org. July 17, 2005.
- Lula defies his accusers, BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
- Lula 'sorry' for the scandal, BBC News
- Brazil's Corruption Scandal, Washington Post
- Brazil in crisis The Guardian