Former Congressman Cunha Took Bribe Money and Gave President Temer a 'Cut', Says Broker Funaro

10/16/2017 - 10h42

In his testimony to the Prosecutor General's Office, broker and political lobbyist Lúcio Funaro said he was "certain" that a share of the bribe money generated from former congressman Eduardo Cunha's corruption schemes went to president Michel Temer.

"I've never delivered the money, but Altair [Altair Alves Pinto, an ally of Cunha's] must have", said Mr. Funaro in his testimony.

Folha gained access to the footage in which Mr. Funaro gave his testimony to the Prosecutor General's Office.

One of the things Mr. Funaro mentioned was the ease with which he managed to distribute bribe money, given the proximity of his office to those of Temer - a 100-meter walk, according to the informant - and lawyer José Yunes, a former aide of the president's.

Funaro listed instances in which bribe money was passed along to Temer. "Do you think that [businessman] Natalino Bertin gave money to Temer because of his looks?", he said.

According to Mr. Funaro, at one point, when Temer was still the vice-president, he was involved in illegal campaign donations made by businessman Henrique Constantino, a partner at Gol Linhas Aéreas, a Brazilian airline company, to Gabriel Chalita's campaign for São Paulo mayor in 2012.

The lobbyist also said that Temer requested that congressman Cunha back the interests of port companies around the time that the Federal Port Law was circulating in Congress back in 2013. He claimed that the president had ties with companies Rodrimar, Libra Group, Santos Brasil and Eldorado Celulose.

The Temer administration stated that the president "has never belonged to anyone's caucus", a reference to the caucus of former congressman Cunha, and that, therefore, "all statements, in that regard, were false".

The administration also denied accusations of influence peddling when it came to the Federal Port Law.

Lawyer Yunes also denied all accusations.

Translated by THOMAS MATHEWSON

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	Reprodução
	Brazil's President Michel Temer