The launch of the NGO Terra Firme, in November 2023, led to people gathering at the Museum of Modern Art of Bahia to celebrate the new initiative by, who was then a partner at .
On Tuesday (18), Lima was arrested in the Federal Police operation, which investigates crimes against the financial system. In a press release, his lawyers stated that the operations investigated occurred after his departure from Master, in 2024, and, therefore, have no relation to his professional performance.
The attendance list for the launch event of the NGO in Lima, which is chaired by his wife Flávia Peres, former federal deputy and former minister in the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government, reveals the banker’s good presence in the political class.
Governor Jerônimo Rodrigues () took advantage of the event to launch a partnership with the institute, which focuses on combating poverty, combating hunger and social inclusion. When contacted to inform whether the partnership, which provided for the installation of food banks, is still in force and the amounts involved, the Bahian management did not send a response to the Panel.
Guga Lima, as the businessman is known, is close to the strongest PT leaders in the state, such as Senator Jaques Wagner and the Minister of the Civil House, Rui Costa, both former governors of Bahia.
It was in 2018, during the Costa administration in Bahia, that Lima purchased the state-owned supermarket chain Cesta do Povo, which sold subsidized products.
The governor signed a decree weeks later, according to which public servants could use Credcesta, a payroll loan program, to buy from Cesta do Povo, boosting Lima’s business. Incorporated into Master in 2019, Credcesta became one of the bank’s pillars of profitability.
The mayor of Salvador, Bruno Reis, and his political godfather ACM Neto, both from and antagonists of the PT, also participated in the launch of the Terra Firme Institute. At the time, Reis said that the city hall would also be a partner of the NGO, as would the government.
A report from the Metrópoles portal showed that Reis and ACM Neto were lent by Lima for a trip on an official agenda two days before the banker’s arrest.
At the time of the launch of the institute, there was an impact on the meeting between governor Jerônimo and João Roma (PL), a former Bolsonaro minister. The PT member was asked by journalists about the conversation he had with Roma and replied that it had been cordial, but not about politics.
Federal deputy Otto Alencar Filho (PSD), son of senator Otto Alencar (PSD), was also present.
At the end of 2024, the Public Ministry of Bahia signed a technical cooperation agreement with the NGO, with the objective of “establishing means of collaboration for the exchange of knowledge, resources, experiences, development of projects, events and initiatives, aimed at achieving results in favor of guaranteeing the rights of citizens of the state of Bahia”.
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