The National Union of Retirees, Pensioners and Elderly (Sindnapi), whose vice-president José Ferreira da Silva-Frei Chico, brother of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva-registered growth of 414% in the collection with discounts on retirement and pensions between 2019 and 2024, according to Federal Police data. The information is from the newspaper The globe.
The entity is one of the 11 associations investigated by the PF and the Comptroller General of the Union (CGU) on suspicion of irregularities in discounts applied directly to the payments of the National Institute of Social Security (INSS). The case is the target of the “without discount” operation, launched last week.
PF investigation documents indicate that Sindnapi raised R $ 90.5 million by 2023 – the highest value since the beginning of the historical series analyzed in 2019, when the union collected R $ 17.6 million. In the first three months of 2024 alone, the value reached $ 26 million.
According to INSS, Sindnapi had 302,360 members in January this year.
The entity did not comment on the new data, but, at the time of the operation, said in a statement that it supports the investigation of the complaints. “A serious and transparent investigation helps to identify possible irregularities, correct failures and prevent injustices from continuing to happen,” the union said in a statement reproduced by O Globo.
On its institutional website, Sindnapi states that it offers members services such as credit cooperative, agreements with clinics and laboratories, tourism and leisure.
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President Lula’s older brother, the trade unionist, said after the case of the fraud surfaced that he expected the police to investigate “all the slut they have” in the INSS.
“Our union has already been audited, we are calm. I hope the Federal Police actually investigate, because there are a lot of pickup entity out there.”
There is no evidence that Friar Chico is a direct target of PF investigations.
