In Brazil, corruption probes affect Workers' Party's government in Minas Gerais

The federal police launched the 9th stage of Operation Acronym, which

Published on 23/09/2016 - 12:50 By Léo Rodrigues reports on-the-scene for Agência Brasil - Belo Horizonte

Rio de Janeiro - O governador de Minas Gerais, Fernando Pimentel, após visitar o governador Luiz Fernando Pezão em sua residência, no Leblon (Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil)

Fernando PimentelFernando Frazão/Agência Brasil

The federal police launched this Friday (Sep. 23) the 9th stage of Operation Acronym, which probes undue benefits received by companies implementing public policies and illegal schemes that allegedly benefited the election campaign of current Minas Gerais Mayor Fernando Pimentel, who is member of the Workers' Party and was minister under Dilma Rousseff's administration.

Fernando Pimentel's defense reacted by saying that "this operation is already exhausted." In a note, lawyer Eugênio Pacelli said that "what is left of it is their taste for the spotlight and their desperate search for evidence that does not exist and for facts of which authorities had been informed in 2014."

Allegations

Fernando Pimentel has been indicted by the federal police twice. At the first time, in April, he was charged with intervening to favor an automaker of the group CAOA, Hyundai representative in Brazil, when he was Minister of Development, Industry, and Foreign Trade, and granted tax incentives to the automotive industry. In return, the company would have transferred funds to his election campaign in 2014.

Pimentel was indicted again last week along with businessman Marcelo Odebrecht under allegations of payment of kickbacks for the Odebrecht construction company to receive benefits from the National Development Bank (BNDES), which at the time was linked to the ministry headed by Pimentel.


Translated by Amarílis Anchieta


Fonte: In Brazil, corruption probes affect Workers' Party's government in Minas Gerais

Edition: Denise Griesinger / Olga Bardawil

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