PT chief: arrest warrant for João Santana not related to party

PT (Workers' Party) head Rui Falcão said Monday (Feb. 22) that the temporary arrest warrant for adman João Santana bears no connection with the political party. Santana oversaw the electoral campaign of President Dilma Rousseff in 2010 and 2014, as well as that of former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's re-election bid, in 2006.

Santana and his wife, Mônica Moura, had their temporary arrest issued as part of the new phase of Operation Car Wash, initiated today. The couple is in the Dominican Republic and could not be taken to jail yet. In an interview at the Federal Police Superintendent's Office in Paraná state, Police Commissioner Filipe Pace said that payments are suspected of having “come from electoral services provided to the PT.”

In an interview at the PT headquarters in Brasília, Rui Falcão stressed once again that the donations received by the party were legal and declared to the electoral court.

“I can't speak for João Santana. I say that every campaign donation is made legally, through bank transactions. The electoral court received all our donations, which were very close to the amount donated to PSDB's [Brazilian Social Democracy Party] campaign.

The chief of the ruling party went on to say that the PT has no marketing man, but merely “hires people for the [political propaganda] shows.”

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira