Police find money-filled briefcases in flat believed to be used by ex-minister

In a crackdown launched to exercise a search and seizure warrant issued in Brasília, Brazil’s Federal Police found a number of boxes and cases with money in an apartment in Salvador, state capital of Bahia. The apartment is believed to be used by former Minister Gedderl Vieira Lima for the storage of cash. “The amounts seized will be taken to a bank for counting and deposited in a special bank account,” the police reported.

According to the authorities, the apartment belongs to Silvio Silveira, supposed to have given the place to the ex-minister so the latter could “supposedly” store “the belongings of his father, deceased since January 2016.” An anonymous caller reported to the police about the boxes.

The operation, dubbed “Hidden Treasure,” was initiated after the collection of data in the first stages of the probe into an illicit credit release scheme at Caixa Econômica Federal from 2011 to 2013, during which Lima was vice-president of the institution.

Geddel Vieira Lima, who served as minister under both Lula and Temer, is now under house arrest. Agência Brasil attempted to contact his counsel, but has had no response as yet.

This article was updated at 1:47 pm.

*Sayonara Moreno contributed to this article.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira