Drugs, money and the coup d’état in Brazil

This article is a collage of Brazilian online publications, translated and slightly edited, see comments within quotation marks.

The rope tightens on Michel Temer’s neck more and more; The tyrant is surrounded on all sides. It will be difficult for him, and his pack, to resist the current charges and to get rid of prison.

After all, it was not!

The Supreme Federal Court (STF) advanced the investigation into Temer’s various crimes: [1] obstruction of justice, [2] corruption, [3] prevarication and criminal organization.

At STF, Edson Fachin accepted Rodrigo Janot’s claims and authorized the Federal Police to take testimony from Temer about the contents of the night and clandestine conversation he had with JBS owner Joesley Batista at the Jaburu Palace, the official residence.

Incidentally, Temer is Brazil’s first highest authority to be caught stealing and, therefore, subjected to such investigative vexation. A world shame.

How is Michel Temer still President

Never before in the history of the country — from monarchs in the Empire, through dictators and presidents throughout the Republican period — has a group of politicians and high figures been caught so blatantly in a circle of banditry as the “government of thieves” from Michel Temer.

The Federal Police has prepared 84 questions for Temer. This time, however, he will not be able to count with the help of Judge Sérgio Moro who, like Gilmar Mendes, is the best judge and friend he could have.

In November 2016, Temer’s defense lawyer Sérgio Moro was able to keep him from answering 21 out of 41 uncomfortable questions that Eduardo Cunha had at the time. Questions about João Henriques and José Yunes, two central characters in the Camarilha’s money scheme.

With the exception of Temer’s resignation, a gesture that would be good and beneficial to the country, any other way of removing the tyrant will demand extra time and efforts for bringing justice to a system that doesn’t work. If Temer is reluctant to resign, a national consensus is needed to put an end to this international embarrassment that increasingly pushes Brazil to the edge.

Michel Temer didn't resign.

The PSDB party, which was an active agent in the coup, despite the amount of spit from the opposition, remains as Temer’s main source of support, and continues to make headlines for corruption scandals of billions. The following is a humble list comprising some of the scandals:

1. Petrobrás ex-director, Paulo Roberto Costa claimed to have paid the president of the PSDB party at the time for a favor. The now deceased president of the PSDB party, Sérgio Guerra, was asked to help him against a CPI investigation on Petrobrás from 2009.
   CPI: Parliamentary Commission of Investigation into government corruption that usually covers the embezzlement of public funds, and various sources.

2. The embezzlement of R$7,6 billions from public funds coordinated by Aécio Neves, the Minas Gerais governor at the time.

3. The Minas Gerais governor Aécio Neves (2003–2010), has built on his mandate 5 airports in 5 different small counties, all of them in the proximity of his family lands.

4. Cemig, a mysterious mining company controlled by PSDB members for years, is behind the funneling of embezzled money to the campaign and the people close to Aécio Neves.

5. Aécio Neves and the Minas Gerais government didn’t reveal the budget for the official state campaigning publicity or the amount that has ended in the pockets of family members of Aécio, since 2003. The lack of transparency is absurd, obviously raising suspicion.
   Aécio Neves was an associate of radio Arco Íris together with his mother and older sister Andrea, at the time when he was a governor, on top of this his sister was a voluntary coordinator of the advisory board for the MG government. How this works exactly I don’t know, but this board was responsible for establishing the policy for communication, contact with the media, expenditure with campaigning and publicity.

6. Nepotism: Aécio Neves has claimed to favor meritocracy, but the truth is the exact opposite, he has received money from his father office in Brasília from 1980 to 1983 and also employed a great deal of relatives when at his office as MG governor.

7. Mensalão Part I: The ‘Mensalão’ was a scheme to embezzle money from various companies created in Minas Gerais in 1998, to favor the reelection of the governor Eduardo Azeredo.
   The investigation has been buried so deep that for some of the parties involved the crime has prescribed, the purpose being to extend the process of investigation until enough time has passed, enough to benefit some of the parties involved in the crime.
   According to the Public Ministry complaint, the embezzlement amount reached R$ 4,4 millions. However, the exact amount is controversial, leaving the door open for Mensalão II, and the investigation of other companies, which were not included in the original process of investigation.

The key here is to understand how the embezzlement works.

The helicopter of a Senator’s family was found in 2016 with 445 kg of cocaine, but somehow father Senator Zezé Perrella and son Gustavo Perrella managed to get away without serving prison time or even making proper headlines.

Gustavo Perrella (SD-MG), 33, was a Sate representative for the state of Minas Gerais, who has accepted the invitation of Sports Minister Leonardo Picciani (PMDB) and who was supposed to assume the National Secretariat of Football and Defense of the Rights of the Fans (some sort of Fans defense league?).

Senator Zezé Perrella (PMDB) was the president of Cruzeiro, a famous sports club — that I think has played in the World Cup of 2014. And he is or was a member of the “pelota da bola”, an organization formed by politicians of the CBF and APFut (Public Authority of Governance of the Soccer).

The Federal Police run an operation that caught and seized, in November 2013, 445 kg of cocaine in a helicopter owned by the family, an helicopter that was later returned to the family — no questions asked.

From this case, it was discovered that Gustavo maintained an official in the Legislative Assembly, who was responsible for flying the deputy’s helicopter. It’s important to notice that the salary paid to officials usually come from tax payers, meaning money from citizens’ pockets in this case paid to fly 445kg of cocaine from somewhere to somewhere and to someone — all in all raising questions that reporters where actually afraid to pursue. Gustavo Perrella got away with a slap on the wrist carried by the Public Ministry of Minas Gerais — what they call an administrative impropriety, carrying what side effects of never being selected to a government office again. We, the people, don’t even know if he was interview by the Federal Police.

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Note regarding Brazilian reporters,

Sometimes facts remain buried forever along with people, most of the times justice doesn’t work, and there’s always this aura of fear that reporters, investigators, and people in general are so accustomed to, hereby talking about impunity and crimes is thought to be impossible. The fear is widespread in our society, in a way it had become a norm. The news that you see on TV might include the details of how someone was murdered, as well as TV channels like to display the dead body, and the theatrics of it. Big time. Who would order the killings will be of public knowledge, but they won’t face punishment, and they won’t be shamed either.

In this light, it could be weird if the media doesn't refer to the possibility of murder, shady, were it not for self preservation, and survival, when an institution and reporters choose not to mention and publicly shame, criminals, and powerful individuals, who would order the killings, their motives, and those who covered it up. It is out of fear, that like many others do, they choose to ignore when bodies, and witnesses disappear, and easily accept when people give up to speak. The truth be told, people won't give up their lives to speak, they would be alone if they did, and in any case, they know criminals won't face any punishment.

There is always the possibility of murder.

It is like an itch that doesn't go away, and you develop a rash, still you don't wanna hurt yourself, your complexion, and you keep on fighting against the urge to scratch.

It cannot be deemed irrelevant.

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