Company Belonging to Arrested Lobbyist Has Over US$27.6 Million in Contracts with Petrobras

11/20/2014 - 09h05

It has surfaced that lobbyist Fernando Soares, who surrendered on Tuesday, November 18th, to the Federal Police in Curitiba, southern Brazil, is a partner of a company that has over US$27.6 million worth of deals with Petrobras, according to documents obtained by Folha.

He is known as Fernando Baiano and it is suggested that he is the link between the public company and The Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB). Petrobras is currently under investigation by a Federal Police operation entitled "Lava Jato" ("Car Wash") to investigate fraud in bids as well as political kickbacks.

Baiano had his arrest decreed after it was suspected he had a role in a bribe payment to members of PMDB. The party denies any connections with the lobbyist.

Julio Camargo from the Toyo Setal group is one of the whistleblowers in this operation, and he has said to prosecutors that Baiano received bribes totaling US$8 million for Baiano to close deals with Petrobras for the use of radars.

The company which Baiano is a partner, called Petroenge Petroleum and Engineering, provides maintenance and support services to maritime oil extraction platforms, especially the ones that belong to the public company, according to signed contracts.

The headquarters of Petroenge is at Macaé, Rio de Janeiro, where companies based at Campos Bay are also located.

This company has three offices in the state of Espirito Santo and one office in Bahia, in cities where Petrobras is also present: Vitória (capital of the state of Espirito Santo), Anchieta (in Espirito Santo), Linhares (in Espirito Santo) and São Sebastião do Passe (in Bahia).

Since 2007, when Petroenge closed its first deal with Petrobras, the public company has signed 86 contracts with the company, totaling US$50.6 million, according to information found on Petrobras' website.

BUSINESS

Baiano became a partner at Petroenge through another company he is also a partner of, called Hawk Eyes Asset Management.

The latter company owns 18% of Petroenge's capital, according to a document found at the Board of Trade in Rio. That is, Baiano invested US$290,000 in a company whose capital is of US$1.61 million, according to the same document.

The senior partner at Petroenge, Guilherme Mendes Spitzman Jordan, worked at the Mayor's Office in Macaé when the mayor was a member of the PMDB party.

According to the businessman, Baiano only invested in the business and did not interfered with any contracts.

On Tuesday, November 18th, judge Sergio Moro determined secrecy to be broken. Hawk Eyes, in turn, is controlled by a company whose headquarters are in London, England, called Falcon Equity Limited.

Baiano is a partner of another company that is going to have its secrecy broken, as determined by the Federal Court in Paraná: Technis Planning and Management.

The lobbyist is under arrest at the Federal Police jail in Curitiba, where the investigations for "Car Wash" operation are taking place. He should testify next Friday, November 21st.

Translated by CRISTIANE COSTA LIMA

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	Geraldo Bubniak/AGB/Folhapress
	Fernando Soares is a partner of a company that has over US$27.6 million worth of deals with Petrobras