Singled out by parliamentarians as an orange in a scheme to divert resources from retirees and pensioners, Thaisa Hoffmann Jonasson appeared at the commission supported by a habeas corpus from the Federal Supreme Court (STF)
Doctor Thaisa Hoffmann Jonasson, wife of the former attorney general of Virgílio Antônio Ribeiro de Oliveira Filho, remained silent during almost the entire statement given this Thursday (23) to the person investigating irregularities in the agency. Singled out by parliamentarians as an orange in a scheme to divert resources from retirees and pensioners, Thaisa appeared before the commission supported by a habeas corpus from the Federal Supreme Court (STF), which guaranteed her the right not to answer questions that could lead to self-incrimination.
Her lawyer, Izabella Hernandez Borges, informed that she would not sign a commitment to tell the truth because she was under investigation and had been the subject of a request for preventive detention. According to investigations, Thaisa would have moved around R$18 million from fraud, the majority of which was paid by lobbyist Antônio Carlos Camilo Antunes, known as “Careca do INSS”, identified as one of the organizers of the scheme and responsible for moving up to R$2 billion.
Thaisa’s companies — Curitiba Consultoria and Centro Médico Vitacare — received almost R$11 million from the lobbyist, while another firm, THJ Consultoria, would have received R$3.5 million from a nucleus linked to the scheme in Sergipe, as pointed out by the CPMI rapporteur, deputy Alfredo Gaspar (União-AL). He stated that the frauds involved falsifying authorizations from elderly people to automatically deduct monthly payments for social security benefits, via irregular agreements with the INSS.
“It’s a shame that you leave this CPMI as a money launderer for retirees and pensioners. You missed the opportunity to show that you didn’t receive bribes for your husband”, declared Gaspar during the session. In one of the few answers given, Thaisa stated that the payments received refer to medical opinion services provided from 2022 onwards. An endocrinologist, she said that she will present documents to the commission to prove the execution of the work.
The rapporteur also cited reports that associate Thaisa and her husband with the purchase of a R$28 million property in Balneário Camboriú (SC) and the acquisition of luxury vehicles, including a Porsche, after the launch of Operação Sem Desconto, in April this year — values considered incompatible with the income of a public servant. For the president of CPMI, senator Carlos Viana (Podemos-MG), the deponent was instructed by the defense to remain silent. “She has this right, but the facts are already revealing: her husband was an INSS attorney and acquired a property worth R$28 million at one of the most expensive addresses in the country,” she stated.
The commission will also hear this Thursday, in Brasília, former prosecutor Virgílio Oliveira Filho, who is removed from office by court decision. Investigations indicate that he had received R$11.9 million from companies linked to associations investigated for irregular discounts on social security benefits.
*With information from Estadão Conteúdo
