Former Minister of Education of Bolsonaro and evangelical pastors are arrested for corruption

The former Minister of Education Milton Ribeiro and evangelical pastors close to the Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonarowere arrested this Wednesday accused of “influence peddling” in the current government.

According to a statement from the Federal Police (PF), the operation called “Access payment” began on Wednesday morning to “investigate the practice of influence peddling and corruption for the release of public resources from the National Education Development Fund, linked to the Ministry of Education”.

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The authorities did not confirm the name of the first detainees, but according to the digital edition of the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo, among them are Ribeiro and Pastor Gilmar Santos.

Another religious leader close to Bolsonaro, the pastor Arilton Mouraalso appears on the list of arrest warrants issued by the Justice.

“Based on documents, interrogations and the final summary preliminary investigation report of the Office of the Comptroller General of the Union, gathered at the request of the police, possible indications of criminal practice for the release of public resources were identified,” noted the PF note.

The thirteen judicial search warrants and the five arrest warrants in the states of Goiás (center), Pará (north) and Sao Paulo (southeast) and the Federal District of Brasilia were issued by the 15th Federal Criminal Chamber of the Judicial Section of the Brazilian capital and the investigation runs under cover.

“Other various precautionary measures, such as the prohibition of contacts between those investigated and those involved, were also determined by the Justice,” added the PF.

The authorities recalled that the crime of influence peddling is punishable by two to five years in prison and in the process “acts typified as passive corruption (two to twelve years in prison), prevarication (three months to one year) and administrative advocacy (one to three months) are also investigated.

In April, the Attorney General’s Office stated that there were “not enough elements” to justify the opening of an investigation against Bolsonaro for suspected irregularities in the release of those resources by the government. Ministry of Education.

The denounced irregularities caused in March the resignation of Ribeirothe then-portfolio holder and also the pastor of a Presbyterian church.

The complaints splashed Bolsonaro, who came to hold meetings with the two pastors and was quoted in an audio by the then minister, for which opponents asked the Federal Supreme Court (STF) to also investigate the far-right leader.

The suspicions arose from an audio obtained by the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo, in which Ribeiro commented that the budgets of the Ministry of Education had among its priorities the projects promoted by pastors of Pentecostal churches related to the Government.

The allegations of irregularities were ratified by three mayors from small municipalities in the interior of the country, who told a Senate commission that pastors Santos and Moura presented themselves as members of Ribeiro’s team and demanded commissions to release resources from the Ministry of Education for your cities.

Source: Elcomercio

Ronald Payne

I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.