President Temer Used Bribe Money to Buy Real Estate, Says Securities Broker

09/22/2017 - 10h46

Securities broker Lúcio Funaro, who is collaborating with Operation Car Wash investigators, told the Prosecutor General's Office that Brazilian president Michel Temer used bribe money to buy real estate.

Funaro's testimonies were released to the public domain by Brazil's Supreme Court (STF) earlier this week. The informant said that José Yunes, a former aide of Temer's, laundered money for the president.

The testimony states that Funaro "knows that Michel Temer owns real estate that was acquired through Yunes' corporations; since he works in the stock market, he knows that the easiest way to launder money is through real estate acquisitions". Funaro stated that "the money laundered by Yunes was in favor of Michel Temer".

He also said that former congressman Eduardo Cunha (PMDB) told him about a property in São Paulo. According to the testimony, Funaro "knows, through Eduardo Cunha, that Michel Temer owns an entire floor on Brigadeiro Faria Lima Avenue, in São Paulo/SP; in a brand new building".

The Temer administration issued a statement saying that Mr. Funaro is "misleading the authorities of the Prosecutor's Office and spreading lies". "All real estate belonging to president Temer was legally purchased and declared to the federal revenue office".

"The property on Faria Lima Avenue, for example, was acquired in early 2003. Eduardo Cunha wasn't even affiliated to the PMDB at the time of the purchase", said the statement.

Translated by THOMAS MATHEWSON

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	Lula Marques / Folhapress
	Informer Lúcio Funaro