Vai-Vai, one of the most traditional samba schools in São Paulo and holder of 15 Carnival titles, has become a stronghold of the criminal faction PCC, according to investigation reports from the Civil Police. The documents, to which Folha had access, are part of a money laundering process that is being kept secret in the São Paulo judiciary and has as its targets the then financial director and counselor of the association, Luiz Roberto Marcondes Machado de Barros, known as Beto da Bela Vista. "The school [Vai-Vai] to which BBV [Beto Bela Vista] belongs to the board is known to be a stronghold of the mentioned criminal faction [PCC], having even expelled some members who were police officers some time ago for this reason," says a passage from the document.
Investigators claim to have identified this connection after receiving a series of reports indicating Beto's involvement with organized crime and conducting field investigations at addresses linked to the then director and other members of the samba school.
According to the police, data obtained by Coaf (Financial Activities Control Council) reinforced suspicions that he, his wife, his mother, and other individuals are involved in money laundering. When contacted, Vai-Vai says that Beto Bela Vista is a member of the board and was the director in the previous term, which ended in late 2022. "He is a board member, elected, and no conviction impedes his role," says the association's press office.