Cunha Received R$ 52 Million in Bribes, Says Former VP of Caixa

04/29/2016 - 12h10

In negotiations for a plea bargain, the former vice-president of Caixa Econômica Federal, Fábio Cleto, confirmed the payment of bribes to his political godfather, the Speaker of the Lower House, Eduardo Cunha (PMDB-RJ), in exchange for the release of FGTS (Severance Indemnity Fund for Employees) investment funds.

Assigned to his post by Cunha himself, Cleto was able to negotiate a plea bargain with the PGR (Attorney General's Office) after having been the target of a search and seizure operation by the Federal Police in December, five days after having been exonerated from his post.

In the event that his involvement is confirmed, he will be the seventh individual to be investigated under Operation Lava Jato, which is charging Cunha with corruption.

Folha learned that Cunha is the main target of Cleto's accounts, but he has also mentioned other politicians.

In these preliminary cooperative accounts, the former vice president of the Caixa confirmed that bribe payments had been made to Cunha as relayed by informers Ricardo Pernambuco and Ricardo Pernambuco Júnior from Carioca Engenharia.

According to the executives, Cunha received R$ 52 million (US$ 15 million) in bribes in exchange for the release of FGTS investment funds for the Porto Maravilha project, which the company received as a concession through a partnership with the construction companies OAS and Odebrecht.

The PGR is investigating possible ties to Cleto in the scheme, when he contacted them about a plea bargain.

Folha also learned that Cleto's plea bargain also includes information about overseas bank accounts and could help Rodrigo Janot's team trace the path of the bribe money for Porto Maravilha projects.

Second in the line for successor to the presidency, Cunha is already the target of two Operation Lava Jato denunciations, both charging that he accepted bribes.

In the first denunciation, dealing with payments for Petrobras probe ship contracts, the Supreme Court unanimously agreed to open the prosecution, making him a defendant. The second denunciation deals with the transfer of bribe money in Swiss accounts tied to Cunha and his relatives.

In the past, the Speaker of the Lower House, Eduardo Cunha, has already said that he did not receive money from Carioca Engenharia, but he did not want to comment on Fábio Cleto's accusations.

"We are not familiar with the accusation", stated his advisors.

Translated by SUGHEY RAMIREZ

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	Pedro Ladeira/Folhapress
	The speaker of the lower house of Congress, Eduardo Cunha (PMDB-RJ)