An advisor to (), Secretary of Government of the administration (Republicans), was the target of an operation this Wednesday (12) against fraud in city hall tenders. According to the government, he resigned hours after the action.
Mario Botion was director of Agreements at the Campinas regional office of the Government Secretariat and was responsible for brokering agreements for the release of financial transfers between the Tarcísio administration and city halls in the region. He was appointed to the position of trust on July 31 this year.
PF agents carried out search and seizure warrants at Botion’s home and at one of his companies, in Limeira, in the interior of the state — he was mayor of the city between 2017 and 2024 for the PSD, the party of which Kassab is national president.
He was one of the targets of Operation Coffee Break, carried out in partnership with the CGU (Comptroller General of the Union), which investigates fraud in tenders for embezzlement of funds from the Education sector in city halls.
According to the CGU, the scheme involved two companies supplying teaching materials, from Sumaré and Hortolândia, and, in total, 50 search and seizure warrants were carried out in the states of Paraná and the Federal District.
With one of the targets in São Paulo, the PF seized R$2.1 million in cash.
“The investigations revealed evidence of crimes against the Public Administration, including bid fraud, active and passive corruption, as well as overbilling and influence peddling,” said a statement released by the controller’s office.
The PF did not clarify whether Botion is being investigated for his work in the city hall or in the state government. The corporation’s communications department in Campinas, which coordinated the operation, reported that the case is confidential.
The advisor also responds to two cases of administrative improbity in the São Paulo Courts, but without condemnatory decisions.
“Those being investigated may be held accountable for the crimes of active and passive corruption, embezzlement, bid fraud, money laundering, illegal direct hiring and criminal organization,” the Federal Police said, also in a note.
The report unsuccessfully tried to contact Botion to hear from him about the case. The Government Secretariat informed, in a note, that he resigned. “The director of Agreements at the Campinas Regional Office will be dismissed upon request”, says the text.
Botion’s dismissal is in two weeks.
Last month, Kassab had appointed the former mayor of Ilha Comprida, Décio Ventura, to the Vale do Ribeira region. The former president has a history of problems with the Union and State audit courts and four current decisions that prohibited him from contesting elections.
Last week, when the Sheet questioned the reasons why Ventura was appointed to a position in the Tarcísio administration, the former mayor was also dismissed. In an interview, he stated that he resigned because he did not want to cause problems.
