The Minister of Justice and Public Security, Ricardo Lewandowski, said on Wednesday (23) that the operation of the Federal Police against fraud in the INSS aims to protect retirees from new losses.
Named “without discount”, the action investigates the between 2019 and 2024.
“It is an initial operation, but not extraordinary. It is part of the set of operations that the ministry has developed against organized crime. The goal is to prevent retirees from being continually injured,” the minister said in an interview with journalists.
The investigation revealed that entities registered with Social Security would have discounted monthly amounts of retirement and pension benefits using false signatures. The fraud was made through unauthorized associative monthly fees, applied directly to the payroll of the INSS insured.
The operation resulted in Alessandro Stefanutto, as well as five other high -ranking servers. Among those removed are the director of benefits and relationship with the citizen, the institute’s attorney general and the payment and benefits coordinator.
The offensive was conducted in partnership with the Union Comptroller General (CGU) and mobilized 700 PF agents and 80 CGU servers. 211 search and seizure warrants were fulfilled, as well as six temporary arrest orders and blockade of goods in the amount of R $ 1 billion.
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According to the PF, the scheme involved organizations that presented themselves as class entities, but made discounts without the consent of the beneficiaries. The funds were diverted through counterfeiting and the omission of inspection by members of the INSS structure.
The case caused a strong repercussion in the government and led the Minister of Social Security, Carlos Lupi, to publicly assume. In a statement, Lupi also acknowledged that there was a government failure in previously verifying whether the entities met the legal requirements to establish the agreements with the Social Security.
The expectation is that new phases of the investigation will detail the involvement of public servants and the performance of associations benefited by the scheme.
