Whistle-blower says Senate president used “agent” in kickback deals
Former Petrobras Downstream director Paulo Roberto Costa said in testimony before a Federal Court that Renan Calheiros, president of the Senate, had an “agent” who negotiated bribes with Costa.
Paulo Roberto Costa
According to Costa's statement, two political parties helped him secure his position at Petrobras – PP and Calheiros's PMDB. He also claims that his kickback deals were not arranged with the Senate president himself, but with an “envoy”, Deputy Aníbal Gomes.
As Congress members, Gomes and Calheiros have special jurisdiction privileges and can only be tried by the Supreme Court (STF). They are suspects in a case filed with the STF based on information given by the former Petrobras director in his plea bargain statements.
In a statement, Calheiros dismissed the allegations, maintaining that his dealings with public officials were strictly institutional. He also denied ever giving Aníbal Gomes or anyone else permission to act on his behalf.
In his testimony heard Monday (July 13) by Federal Judge Sergio Moro, who presides over the corruption probe known as Operation Car Wash, Paulo Roberto Costa gave details on the workings of the bribery scheme involving government contractors.
He said the illegal payments were made as the construction projects progressed, and Petrobras paid contractors based on service delivery rather than on contract prices as previously believed.
“Petrobras would keep track [of service delivery] – progress checks took place on a monthly basis. Petrobras would pay [contractors for their services], and the companies would only make the payoffs to the political parties and other beneficiaries upon actually receiving the payments from Petrobras. The rationale was, don't pay until the service delivery has been confirmed,” he said.
Costa testified in the criminal case that spun off from the tenth stage of the probe, kicked off in March. Former Workers' Party treasurer João Vaccari Neto, former Petrobras Services director Renato Duque, and former Petrobras manager Pedro Barusco are also implicated in the case.
Translated by Mayra Borges
Fonte: Whistle-blower says Senate president used “agent” in kickback deals
