Declaration comes after a new phase of Operation Without Discount, which investigates illegal discounts on retirement and pensions and led to arrests and measures authorized by the STF
The president (PT) stated this Thursday (18) that all people eventually involved in the retirement and pension fraud scheme will be investigated and punished, regardless of position or personal ties. The statement was made during a breakfast with journalists at Palácio do Planalto, after questions about the new phase of Operation Without Discount, by the Federal Police, and about the mention of the name of his son, Fábio Luís Lula da Silva, known as Lulinha, in investigations related to the case.
“It is important to be serious and investigate all the people involved. No one will go free. If my son is involved in this, he will be investigated”, said the president. This Thursday, the Federal Police launched another stage of the operation that investigates a national scheme of illegal discounts applied to the benefits of INSS retirees and pensioners between 2019 and 2024. Investigations indicate that the deviations could reach R$6.3 billion.
The new phase was authorized by the minister of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), who removed the confidentiality of the decision. According to the order, the PF identified five transfers of R$300,000 — totaling R$1.5 million — made by the company Brasília Consultoria Empresarial S/A, linked to Antônio Carlos Camilo Antunes, known as “Careca do INSS”, to the company RL Consultoria e Intermediações Ltda., belonging to another person under investigation, Roberta Moreira Luchsinger.
In messages seized by the PF, Careca from INSS mentions that one of the transfers would be destined for “the boy’s son”, without the court decision clarifying who the phrase refers to. In another dialogue, Roberta expresses concern after the seizure of an envelope with a third party’s name during previous searches and instructs the scheme operator to discard telephones used in communication.
At this stage of the operation, the PF arrested Romeu Carvalho Antunes, son of Careca from INSS, and Eric Fidélis, son of former INSS Benefits director André Fidélis. Minister André Mendonça also ordered the house arrest of Adroaldo Portal, then executive secretary of the Ministry of Social Security, who was exonerated after the police action.
The Federal Police even requested the arrest of the senator (PDT-MA), identified as a beneficiary of the group’s embezzlement and political support, but the Attorney General’s Office spoke out against the measure. The parliamentarian was the target of a search and seizure warrant and stated, in a statement, that he received the action “with surprise” and that he is available to provide clarifications.
In total, the PF and the Comptroller General of the Union (CGU) executed 52 search and seizure warrants, 16 preventive arrest warrants and other precautionary measures in six states and the Federal District. Investigations indicate that associations deducted monthly fees directly from INSS benefits without authorization from policyholders, simulating non-existent memberships. Eleven entities had contracts suspended by court decision.
The crisis caused by the operation led to the departure of the then Minister of Social Security, Carlos Lupi (PDT). He was replaced by Wolney Queiroz, who held the position of executive secretary of the department. Lula stated that the government will provide full support to the investigations and reiterated that everyone involved “will pay the price” if they are held responsible.
