MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Brazil's First lady will be examined for suspicious transaction
Michelle Bolsonaro, first lady of Brazil, will be subjected to an examination of the Brazilian treasury within an investigation into a series of suspicious transactions involving the president's eldest son, Valor newspaper reported Friday. Read full article
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Disclaimer & comment rulesLike everything else, this too will be swiped under the dirty carpet. Anyone wants to bet?
Jan 26th, 2019 - 07:12 am - Link - Report abuse 0https://i2.wp.com/www.humorpolitico.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/bolsonaromeioambiente1.jpg?resize=768%2C768&ssl=1
@:o))
Jan 28th, 2019 - 04:35 pm - Link - Report abuse 0”President Jair Bolsonaro, who conquered the October election promising a fierce fight against corruption, had already explained in December that a 24,000 reais (approximately $ 6,300) check deposited by Fabricio Queiroz.....”.
Boy, that DOES sound veeery suspicious...a nominal cheque, of such a 'high' value, and 'deposited' in her account....must have raised eye brows everywhere....BUT, IF it were illicit money, who would pay it via nominal cheque, and deposit it ? What happened to the good old system of handing the money over, stashed into a whisky box ? (used by Palocci to deliver bribes to Lula, at the airport...)
But of course, I forget we are dealing with a biased press, intent on throwing shit in Bolsonaro's fan...based on what ? a weak 'suspicion'...
Besides, I've lent bigger amounts to friends of mine and never declared it in my income tax return... may be atypical, but not illegal.
@Jack Bauer
Jan 28th, 2019 - 06:46 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Pl. hold your breath - more shit is most likely to hit the fan!
@:o))
Jan 29th, 2019 - 05:49 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Sure will.....until the press resigns itself to the fact that the left lost the election, they will do everything they can to disrupt government.....That is what it does when its pals aren't in power.
Just one question, why doesn't the press talk about the other 27 politicians of the ALERJ, who moved far larger “atyical” sums of money ?...... just asking...
@Jack Bauer
Jan 29th, 2019 - 07:47 pm - Link - Report abuse 0REF: “......just asking......”:
You are right!
A view from the other side is that the media loves - ALWAYS - to explore the sensationalism; trying to attract a largest possible audience. It's their “livelihood”!
That of course does not justify the neglect of the rest of the crooks. In any case; like the rest of the sensations; pl. treat this one too as a storm in a glass of beer. I was told that justice; always is “JUSTICE” in Brazil! I'm sure that you are fully aware of such a historical clowning.
JB
Jan 29th, 2019 - 08:34 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“I forget we are dealing with a biased press” They are not the party that is investigating they're just reporting the facts.
”may be atypical, but not illegal. It's not the just the 24k, it's also the 1.2 million.
”BRASILIA (Reuters) - Rio de Janeiro state prosecutors said on Thursday they were temporarily suspending an investigation into suspicious payments handled by the former driver of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's son, Flavio, due to a Supreme Court ruling.
The Supreme Court ruling injunction was sealed, the prosecutors said in a written statement, and no details were immediately available about who had lodged it, or why.
The scandal arose after Brazil's Council for Financial Activities Control (COAF) identified 1.2 million reais ($305,000) that in 2016-17 flowed through the bank account of Queiroz. Some payments were made to the president's wife, Michelle Bolsonaro.”
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2019-01-17/brazil-prosecutors-suspend-probe-into-funds-handled-by-ex-driver-of-bolsonaros-son
@JB
Jan 29th, 2019 - 10:19 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Why so keen to explain away all the suspicious transactions? Flavio isn't, since he got the case temporarily suspended, but we'll learn more in due course.
And you didn't resign yourself when the left won the election, you went and protested against Dilma, and the government was thoroughly disrupted.
DemonTree the slavish follower aka The Appendage
Jan 30th, 2019 - 01:02 am - Link - Report abuse 0“Stick to cleaning...”Your bosom buddy is the only one that has any knowledge on the subject. So its not hard to surmise what he was doing in the reservists.
Freud said 'Thought is a Roundabout Way of Wishing'. It's not difficult to see what his thoughts are, since he or you can't refrain from revealing them. While you're just the ingratiating echo.
He also said ”The Unconscious. Nothing Comes “Out of the Blue.”
REF: B0LS0NAR0 [+Family +Friends +Driver/s +0thers]:
Jan 30th, 2019 - 09:26 am - Link - Report abuse 0For now [& for a few months] Besides the Carnival, Brumadinho is & will most likely be in the news.
Mariana - Mariana? Does ANY0NE bother or even remember? Actually D0ING something - something really C0NCRETE - about ANYTHING: who REALLY cares?
For a great delight of Bolsonaro+Co; the “missing” driver [coincidently found in a hospital] is N0-News already!
https://i1.wp.com/www.humorpolitico.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/JC-OPI0126_CHARGETHIAGO2019.jpg?resize=768%2C731&ssl=1
@TH
Jan 30th, 2019 - 04:18 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I know it's a total waste of time replying to your crap, but I can afford to waste a few seconds...
So, after your brilliant observation ”They (the press) are not the party that is investigating they're just reporting the facts”, all I have to say is, 'yes', but it's exclusive focus is on Bolsonaro, while ignoring the rest of the corruption (at the ALERJ). The same COAF detected 'atypical' movement of R$ 45 million in the a/c of a PT members of the same house, but the press ignores it. And in yr expert opinion, that's not biased ?
@DT
“Why so keen to explain away all the suspicious transactions?”
“Explain them 'away' ” ???.....no....simply discussing what the R$ 24,000 looks like - and if the explanations given so far, are plausible. Afaic, at first glance they are, but I'm not against continuing the investigation until proof is presented - either way.
“And you didn't resign yourself when the left won the election, you went and protested against Dilma, and the government was thoroughly disrupted”.
What ? you are slightly confused. Dilma was re-elected Oct 2014, after an enormous cover-up to hide the real situation of the economy...which to those who were keen observers, it was clear the numbers didn't add up - Of course, I'm fully aware that Terryble Terry's theory about the price of gold was the main cause - but I did not protest because “the left had won”, or because “she had been elected”....that would've been utterly stupid, why protest for the sake of protesting ?
I only joined the protests in 2015, along with dozens of millions of others, when all the shit floated to the surface. The government was not “disrupted” because of the protests .....exactly the opposite : the protests were the result of Dilma's screw-up.
It's funny to see Terryble Terry trying to blame me for his queer desires and his 'sucking habit' ...he was the first one to bring it 'up'....but I suppose it's his way of trying to sneak out the backdoor after 'pleasing' Lula...
When I said the government was disrupted, I meant the President was impeached and the Vice took over, leading to a complete change in policy. No one protests for the sake of protesting; you wanted the government to change and it did, and IMO the protests you went on were one reason for that, and the corruption investigations another. So, knowing these things can bring down presidents, of course the media and anyone opposed to the current government will pursue them as long as there is anything there to pursue.
Jan 30th, 2019 - 07:32 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Jack Bauer aka Proof-less and Truth-less
Jan 30th, 2019 - 08:02 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“trying to blame me...” I don't have to as you provide all the evidence yourself. You're the gift that keeps on giving.
I'm not the one who is being ingratiated with, nor am I the sycophant doing the ingratiating with a proven liar.
REF: “Brazil's First lady will be examined ”:
Jan 31st, 2019 - 03:57 pm - Link - Report abuse 0W0W! A VERY lucky “examiner” INDEED! Did Tamer have a similar honor? PERHAPS “yes”?
DT (Cont. of “Former Minister..”)
Jan 31st, 2019 - 05:31 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“I like tt u think being Prez doesn't involve honest an day's work”…that’s NOT what I said…I said “LULA never did an ‘honest’ day’s work”…different. He refused to read reports (a strain on his brain), so he was briefed (very 'briefly’), details were unimportant. He would’ve “got away with accepting the gift”, if not for the Lavajato following the money trail ; Gifts ('n cash) in exchange for favors was the norm, so Lula never even suspected he’d be caught ..the risk WAS small.
Odebrecht put US$ 100 million at his disposal when he stepped down end 2010…his lectures, given or not, were paid from that. You’re right, he’d seen the ‘mensalão’ scandal unfold, ‘n he got away with it…made him all the more confident he was untouchable…he never got ‘his’ hands dirty, instead using others to do his dirty work - gave him plausible deniability… “which is pretty much what he claimed” (Exactly).
“…if he had simple tastes then where did the money go?” …into PT campaigns (cash under the counter), to fund his rallies, his ‘caravans’, MST etc…part of the unspent money - R$ 23 million - was found in the parallel accounting system in Odebrecht’s bribe dept .
“Why would OAS need to spend so much on the triplex, with seemingly so little result?” OAS spent just over R$ 1 million – after being emptied, ‘n 4 years later, no surprise the result was “seemingly so little”.
The “Estadão” very likely only gained access to the triplex after OAS had removed the more expensive items.
“You've accused Lula of being the mastermind of a web of bribery, but now you say he had a very ordinary way of life”…the mastermind was Jose Dirceu - Lula was just the ‘honorary’ boss, hiding in the background ‘n taking his cut.
My condo IS in a far better area (purely residential, lots of trees), so yes, I’d say my flat is ‘nicer’ than Lula’s in SBCampo. I only changed flooring (fm carpet to hardwood), terrace doors, most windows. It looks better than when I bought it.
“He would’ve “got away with accepting the gift”, if not for the Lavajato following the money trail ”The truth shall set you free
Jan 31st, 2019 - 06:25 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“Yet crucially, there is no evidence that Lula either owned or lived in the triplex at any point. Beyond the suspicious activity with apartment 164-A, the court cited no evidence that directly implicated Lula in a quid pro quo with OAS. Instead, it argued that because it is known that OAS was taking kickbacks from Petrobras, and Lula was the sitting president at the time, it is reasonable to infer that he was aware and complicit. This is, needless to say, not sufficient evidence to convict someone beyond a reasonable doubt. And indeed, according to several analysts, no European or American court would have ruled to convict based on the evidence presented”
http://www.brownpoliticalreview.org/2018/03/brazils-democratic-woes-anti-elitism-reemergence-illiberalism/
”He refused to read reports (a strain on his brain), so he was briefed (very 'briefly’), details were unimportant.”
Jan 31st, 2019 - 06:33 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Heh, I've heard the same about Trump. The difference is that Trump likes expensive and tacky, while Lula is happy with cheap and tacky. At least he was a cheap date, er, bribe. ;)
”I only changed flooring (fm carpet to hardwood), terrace doors, most windows.“
No burnt cement for you? I watched the video again and I think some of the floors were tiled, but still boring and characterless. And I hadn't thought of doors and windows - even though we also replaced all the windows in the house a few years ago - but I think the papers would have mentioned that if it was part of the work done. As for removing the expensive items, weren't the kitchen appliances supposed to be them? Are apartments usually sold with these in place in Brazil? In the UK the cooker comes with the house, sometimes fridge and/or dishwasher if they are fitted, but a microwave would be unusual.
”into PT campaigns, to fund his rallies, his ‘caravans’, MST etc”
Now that makes way more sense, and we know they were all taking illegal campaign money. But I think they should have gone after him for that, rather than the triplex that still seems pretty dubious. As for the rest, didn't Jose Dirceu go to jail after the mensalão? And Dilma gave the prosecutors more freedom to investigate corruption. Just seems to me they'd have made sure the big names were clean, or at least there was nothing obvious to find at that point. But I don't come from a culture of impunity.
If the following is true, that explains EVERYTHING:
Feb 01st, 2019 - 12:02 am - Link - Report abuse 0https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Brazilian_politicians_convicted_of_crimes
The most hilarious part is that the masses actually vote for them and they get elected!
@DT
Feb 01st, 2019 - 03:12 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Burnt cement might be practical, but I liked the feel of wood beneath my feet...positive energy !
That's what I've been pointing out, besides the normal furniture (sofas, beds), the kitchen concentrated the expensive items. After being removed...back to plain ;
NO new apartments are sold furnished, or with equipped kitchens, in Brazil (different to the US, 'n as u r telling me, the UK).
The US$ 100 million was for Lula to use at his discretion.....the fact that he decided to use part of it to further his Foro de SP project, was totally his decision (as no doubt he expected it to pay off), but you cannot compare US$ 100 million with US$ 100,000, which is roughly the average normally given to some politicians as illegal campaign money..and especially when it is given to you on the “LAST” day of your mandate.
The US$ 100 million from Odebrecht only came to light after they were on to Lula and the triplex (which was OAS's gift), when they questioned Emilio Odebrecht .
José Dirceu was one of the few convicted in the “mensalão”, but - as you should know by now - conviction in the 1st lower court does not mean jail time....after being condemned, again, in the PB scandal, and then being convicted in the 2nd lower court, he spent 2 years behind bars, until he got an HC from the STF, in May 2017....(conceded by 3 of the 5 judges of the 2nd 'group' - Toffoli, Lewandowski, Gilmar Mendes - 2 ex-PT lawyers and a PT sympathiser, who has conceded HCs to dozens of crooks).
Dilma “maintained” the prosecutors freedom to investigate it (not increase it) as the public refused to accept Congress's attempt to curb their power of investigation. Dilma, every now and again, tried to measure her strength with Lula, or consolidate a sort of independence from him, but usually lost. In this case, she listened to the prosecutors' and the public's opinions, not Lula...Rumour has it that she would have liked to throw him under a bus, to get rid of her yoke.
Don't blame her.
Cement floors are probably a lot more practical in a hot climate. Even with the wood flooring in the living room, I have to wear slippers to avoid cold feet. I like wood, but if I had to replace it I'd probably put a carpet in. Same reason we went with vinyl rather than ceramic tiles when we redid the bathroom floor. Who wants frozen feet if you have to go to the loo in the middle of the night?
Feb 01st, 2019 - 08:21 pm - Link - Report abuse 0As for the kitchen appliances, that just makes it more mysterious. If they were put in for Lula, then it doesn't agree with the story about the matching kitchen in Atibaia. And if they weren't intended for him, why were they there at all? They would have just removed the expensive ones and left it empty, if that's how apartments are usually sold in Brazil.
Where did you get US$100,000 as the average illegal donation?
“José Dirceu... he spent 2 years behind bars”
Ah, I remembered hearing he was in jail; I guess he got out since then. Interesting that he was released and not Lula, but then Dirceu wasn't running for President.
Re Dilma, she passed the freedom of information act that Bolsonaro recently weakened, and the anti-money laundering law which among other things, allowed for plea-bargaining. Ironic, no? You're probably right about the power struggle between her and Lula, but she did try and give him a position in government to save him from prosecution.
“The US$ 100 million from Odebrecht only came to light ..” another invention as the link will show.
Feb 02nd, 2019 - 12:32 am - Link - Report abuse 0http://en.mercopress.com/2019/01/25/brazil-s-first-lady-will-be-examined-for-suspicious-transaction/comments#comment497689
@JB/ @TH/ @DT:
Feb 02nd, 2019 - 12:26 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Defending/Accusing the Professionals [crooks]; aren't we?
IN THE MEANWHILE:
https://www.valor.com.br/politica/6093511/brasil-atinge-sua-pior-posicao-em-ranking-de-percepcao-da-corrupcao
@DT
Feb 03rd, 2019 - 08:54 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“1)As for the kitchen appliances, makes it more mysterious. 2) If they were for Lula, then it doesn't agree with the story abt matching kitchen in Atibaia. 3) And if they weren't intended for him, why were they there at all?”
I’m sorry, but have NO idea what your point is.
WHAT is all the more mysterious ?
The triplex kitchen appliances WERE intended for Lula…bought probably at abt the same time the Atibaia kitchen was installed – btwn March/June 2014.
Just fyi, Federal Police findings, based on messages exchanged between Paulo Gordilho (ex-OAS exec) ‘n Leo Pinheiro (free translations): “When can I open the 2 cost centers ?” (one referring to ‘Atibaia’, the other to the ‘beach’);
”Fernando Bittar (owner of the Atibaia home, at least ‘on paper’) has got the 'Dama’s' (as Marisa was referred to) approval of the Guarujá (beach) ‘n ‘sítio (Atibaia) projects…Can I start next week ?”
The appliances WERE for Lula/Marisa, that’s why they were bought…IF, in the case of the beach, they never got around to installing them, or did so only partially (b4 the sh*t hit the fan), ‘n then removed most while they still could (b4 Moro ordered the flat sealed off), I don’t know, but after 3 years of neglect, ‘n before the MTST invaded it, it was empty.
The kitchen in Atibaia had been fully installed months before the triplex came under suspicion, and only came under suspicion itself, after the triplex had.
If Lula were only a potential buyer the reform would never have been done. But he wasn’t the “buyer”.
The US$ 100,00 is just an average, based on amounts one hears of on TV, papers etc…could be 20, 50, 300, 500,000…depends on politician’s importance.
The fact Dirceu got out out (temporarily) has nothing to do with Lula.
In Nov 2011, Dilma only modified the “Access to Information” law, passed in 1990. Bolsonaro altered it again, to reduce bureaucracy and make it harder to divulge info rgdng national security. Sorry but your sources leave a lot to be desired.
“WHAT is all the more mysterious ?”
Feb 03rd, 2019 - 11:18 pm - Link - Report abuse 0That the appliances don't seem to match what you described in Atibaia, or the amount of money OAS spent.
I found the list in this article, you have to scroll through the pictures to find the one with the table:
https://politica.estadao.com.br/blogs/fausto-macedo/por-dentro-do-triplex/
But if apartments are usually sold without appliances, there's no reason to put in different ones if they removed the ones meant for Lula.
”The fact Dirceu got out out (temporarily) has nothing to do with Lula.”
Well sure. The question is why Lula didn't get out temporarily, when it seems so common and easy.
Wikipedia doesn't mention any Access to Information law in Brazil before 2011, only similar laws passed by other countries. Are you sure?
And here's the article about B's changes:
www.businessinsider.com/r-brazil-decree-weakens-law-aimed-at-holding-government-to-account-2019-1?r=US&IR=T
Basically, he just made it a lot easier to hide information, and the law less useful. It's hard enough to get the government to be honest at the best of times, you don't want to make it easier for them to cover up their mistakes and misdeeds.
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