Caixa Econômica Federal received seven internal complaints against Pedro Guimarães before he was fired from the bank. The first was recorded in July 2019, just six months after he took office.
Guimarães left the command of Caixa a month ago, amid a series of accusations of sexual harassment. At the time, the institution reported that an investigation had been launched in May 2022.
Before that, the bank’s internal channels had already received six other complaints against him. It is not possible to determine if they are related to cases of sexual or moral harassment or if they were made for other reasons.
Two were presented in 2019 (in July and September), another in 2020 (in November) and three more in 2021 (one in September and two in December).
Another seven complaints were only formalized when Guimarães left the institution. From there, the number of complaints rose to 14.
Two of them were recorded the day the executive announced in an open letter that he was stepping down from the presidency. After that, Caixa received complaints on July 5th (when two reports were made), and on July 8th, July 11th and July 15th.
The information is contained in a document of the investigation of the MPT (Ministry of Labor) that investigates the allegations of sexual and moral harassment involving Guimarães and Celso Leonardo Barbosa, former vice president of Wholesale Business at the institution.
The number of complaints and the dates were sent to the MPT by Caixa. Although the first registration was made in July 2019, the company does not detail what measures were taken internally.
On Monday (25), labor prosecutor Paulo Neto asked the bank for a full copy of the 14 administrative proceedings opened against the former president.
The prosecutor turned the news into a de facto civil inquiry to deepen preliminary investigations. On Wednesday (27), he determined that part of the documentation be placed under secrecy.
Guimarães’ defense stated that “he was never aware of these accusations, which demonstrates the independence and seriousness of Caixa’s reporting channels and internal investigation mechanisms, as cases of this type must always be treated with secrecy.”
“Pedro Guimarães categorically denies having practiced or encouraged any act of abuse, irregularity or illegality. Therefore, he is convinced that investigations of any nature, whether internal or external, will conclude that his behavior is correct,” said his lawyer, José Luis Oliveira Lima, in a note.
“The management of Pedro Guimarães’ team took Caixa to a level of excellence never seen in its history, as evidenced by all the awards received by the institution in the last three and a half years”, he added.
When contacted, Caixa only said “that the investigative procedures are confidential” and “emphasizes that all complaints received are being duly investigated”.
Associations and unions representing bankers have said since the scandal came to light that employees were afraid to denounce the bank’s top management and suffer retaliation. On July 19, Caixa announced changes to the internal affairs department.
as showed the Sheet, senior executives were placed to perform tasks for those who are just starting their careers. The MPT has been investigating the case since 2020.
The accusations of sexual harassment and moral harassment at Caixa are also being investigated by the Attorney General’s Office in the Federal District and by the TCU (Union Court of Auditors).
Considered Guimarães’ right-hand man, Barbosa resigned from the position of vice president of Wholesale on July 1st. The MPT asked for information about him in view of the complaint that he “would cause ‘fear’ to the women who work at the bank”.
Guimarães left the presidency of Caixa after being denounced by a group of employees. The case was revealed by the website Metrópoles. Reports point to, among other things, unwanted touches and inappropriate invitations.
The bank also paid for a work on the house that Guimarães rented in Brasília, and provided luxury equipment for the weekend trips that the former president made for the financial institution, as shown by the Sheet.
I have over 8 years of experience in the news industry. I have worked for various news websites and have also written for a few news agencies. I mostly cover healthcare news, but I am also interested in other topics such as politics, business, and entertainment. In my free time, I enjoy writing fiction and spending time with my family and friends.
