Opinion – Panel SA: Removed by Nazi joke, BB executive supports Bolsonaro on social networks

Removed for making a Nazi joke in a Banco do Brasil WhatsApp group, executive Kauam Sarabi Moreira is a supporter of President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and now elected senator Sergio Moro (União-PR) on social media.

On Instagram, he has been making posts favorable to the two right-wing politicians since 2018. On October 28 of that year, Bolsonaro’s election day, he posted a photo at a voter commemoration, dressed in the flag of Brazil, claiming to be in ” Bolsonaro”.

Five days later, he made another publication with the hashtag #presidentBolsonaro. He appears in front of a Moro doll and makes the following comment. “Did you say superminister? Fortaleza, 10/21/2018, predicting the future,” he wrote. The former Lava Jato judge would later be appointed by the president as his Minister of Justice. The two would later break up, reconciling only in this year’s elections.

In another post this year, Kauam poses with three more people, all with the green and yellow costumes adopted by Bolsonaristas. “Family going to vote together!!!” he captioned it.

This Monday (14), Banco do Brasil said it removed the manager after other employees denounced him for possible apology for Nazism. He is a manager of structured operations aligned with “good socio-environmental practices” (ESG).

Sought by the SA Panel, Kauam denied the removal. He said he is on vacation and will return to work normally in a month. He declined to comment on the messages on WhatsApp.

Through its advice, BB said that it repudiates any manifestation of discrimination and that it does not condone apology against racial, cultural, religious or social groups, as provided for in its Code of Ethics.

According to reports made to the SA Panel, on Wednesday (9) bank employees were talking in the group about matters not related to work.

Moreira, who has a leadership position, responded to a comment with a montage of Adolf Hitler talking on the phone.

The text on the sticker made a request: “Hans, turn on the gas”. The reference goes back to the gas chambers where Jews were mass exterminated during World War II.

After what happened, no one reprimanded Kauam, a boss identified as abusive and with a history of moral harassment within the institution. The case, however, was reported to the internal ombudsman and is under investigation.

The bank says it has not yet authorized Kauam’s vacation. He was separated from socializing with employees, but must attend work normally until the vacation request is analyzed.

This Monday (14), one of the administrators of the group in which the conversation took place sent a message to employees saying that the bank’s WhatsApp channels would be disabled and that Microsoft Teams will be the only official channel for work-related matters.

Julio Wiziack (interim) with Paulo Ricardo Martins and Diego Felix