Ciro and Cid Gomes are targets of PF operation on deviations in Castelão works

The Federal Police launched an operation this Wednesday morning (15) against the diversion of public resources in the works of the Castelão stadium, in Ceará.

The PF fulfills 14 search and seizure warrants determined by the Justice, having among the targets the brothers Ciro Gomes, pre-candidate for president, and senator Cid Gomes, both from the PDT.

According to a police note, the suspicions are of “fraud, demands and payments of bribes to political agents and public servants arising from the bidding process for works” at the stadium, between 2010 and 2013.

Lúcio Gomes, another brother in the family, was also searched and apprehended.

Through social media, Ciro suggested that the PF’s action was political. “I have no further doubt that Bolsonaro has transformed Brazil into a Police State that hides under a false cover of legality,” he wrote.

The presidential candidate also stated that “I have no connection with the alleged facts found” and that he has no doubt that “this action so late and unreasonable has the clear objective of trying to harm my pre-candidacy.” He ends the text by saying that no one is going to shut up.

Judge Danilo Dias Vasconcelos de Almeida, of the 32 Federal Court of Ceará, also ordered the removal of telephone, banking, fiscal and telematic secrecy of the brothers and other targets.

According to the documents, the investigation is based on payment of bribes to civil servants and political agents of the government of Ceará under the then governor Cid Gomes.

According to the Federal Police, the fraud would have occurred so that Galvão Engenharia was successful in the bidding process to carry out renovations to the stadium. The tender amounted to R$518 million, from BNDES.

There is also a suspicion that, during the contract execution phase, undue advantages were paid to the state government to transfer amounts that were supposedly withheld.

The police say in the representation that there are signs that the bribe was paid many times disguised as electoral donations for Cid Gomes and the brothers Ciro Gomes and Lúcio Gomes.

Two lawyers who occupied the position of Attorney General of the State of Ceará were also targets of the operation. They are suspected of acting in the bidding process and shielding politicians.

The investigation of the PF counted on award-winning statements from Galvão Engenharia executives.

Bribe payments, police say, were made in cash both at a law firm and at the residence of one of the investigated lawyers.’

This Tuesday, in the first IPEC poll after Sergio Moro’s affiliation with Somos and the beginning of the articulations for the ex-judge’s candidacy for Planalto, ex-president Lula (PT) easily leads the voting intentions of the electoral race 2022, followed by President Jair Bolsonaro (PL).

In the two scenarios analyzed in the IPEC survey, released by GloboNews this Tuesday (14), the PT member has more voting intentions than all other possible candidates combined. This indicates the possibility of Lula’s victory in the first round of the dispute.

In the first scenario of presidential candidates, Lula has 48%, Bolsonaro, 21%, and Moro, 6%, technically tied with Ciro Gomes (PDT), who has 5%. The research margin of error is two percentage points, more or less, with a 95% confidence level.