Federal Police seize papers in politicians' homes and offices in Brasília

In a new phase of Operation Car Wash, which probes into the embezzlement of public funds, the Federal Police and the Federal Public Prosecution Office executed Tuesday (Jul 14) search-and-seizure warrants across six Brazilian states and the Federal District. Dubbed “Politeia”, this stage of the investigation comprises six criminal cases filed by the Federal Supreme Court, since the politicians are sitting lawmakers and therefore protected by special legislation under Brazilian law. The orders were carried out at residences, offices, and headquarters of companies owned by Senators Fernando Collor, former president of Brazil, Ciro Nogueira, and Fernando Bezerra, as well as by Federal Deputy Eduardo da Fonte and one-time Minister Mário Negromonte.

The raids were ordered by General Prosecutor Rodrigo Janot. “These measures are crucial to clarifying the facts scrutinized by the Supreme Court. Some of the measures aim to ensure that assets possibly obtained illicitly are seized, and others to safeguard important evidence which could be otherwise destroyed,” Janot is quoted as saying on the website of the General Prosecutor's Office. In his view, the operation shows the solid and responsible work made by the Federal Public Prosecution Office in a bid to shed light on what happened.

During the operation, Federal Police agents searched the residence of Senator Fernando Collor, in the district of Asa Sul, in Brasília.  The police also seized three luxury cars: a Ferrari, a Lamborghini, and a Porsche at Casa da Dinda, the private residence used by Collor when he was president.

Senator Ciro Nogueira's lawyer Antonio de Almeida Castro told Agência Brasil that the warrants at the congressman's home in Brasília were unnecessary. “Sadly, from my point of view, we're going through a rather police-y moment in the country—a moment in which what should be the exception becomes the norm,” he said. Castro noted that the senator had already showed willingness to cooperate with the authorities, and that he has voluntarily placed all his classified banking, tax, and telephone data at the disposal of the investigators. Among the objects seized are a computer and a telephone, the lawyer said.

Senator Fernando Bezerra's press office released a note expressing confidence in the investigators, adding that the lawmaker “is still as willing as he has always been to comply with the proceedings and to provide all the data that might be required, including documents that could have been requested directly from the senator, with no reason for embarrassment whatsoever.”

Federal Deputy Eduardo da Fonte also expressed his opinion by publishing a note, saying he is willing “to cooperate with the authorities in whatever proves necessary to clarify all the facts as soon as possible.”

In a statement, Mário Negromonte's defense said that the operation was conducted “without any complications”, and that the former minister cooperated with the investigation. According to his lawyers, Negromonte “reiterates his full intent to cooperate with the investigation, also by spontaneously handing over whatever documents may be deemed indispensable by the authorities, as he firmly believes that this is the probe which will eventually lead to his innocence being proved regarding the facts under scrutiny.”

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira