Planalto riot police worked to defeat the final text of the investigation into Social Security fraud, which indicted Lulinha and 215 other people
The government’s allied base in Congress celebrated the final report of the INSS CPMI, in a political victory articulated by Palácio do Planalto. Government congressmen worked behind the scenes to defeat the opinion presented by the rapporteur, which provided for the indictment of Fábio Luís Lula da Silva, known as Lulinha, and 215 other people investigated for Social Security fraud.
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The government’s riot police intensified their mobilization in the days leading up to the vote, with negotiations and pressure on members of the commission to block the text. The report pointed to a billion-dollar scheme involving undue discounts on retirement and pensions, in addition to irregular payroll loans.
According to the opinion, Lulinha and others being investigated would be held responsible for crimes such as criminal organization, money laundering and embezzlement. However, the government base managed to gather enough votes to reject the document, depriving the commission of the main political result.
Behind the scenes, Planalto’s allies argued that the report had a political bias and lacked conclusive evidence against the president’s son. During the work, members of the CPMI declared that there was not enough time to fully analyze confidential data related to Lulinha, which left gaps in the conclusions.
INSS FRAUD
CPMI was installed to investigate INSS fraud, focusing on associative and payroll discounts. Throughout the work, he carried out interrogations, analyzed documents and approved breaches of confidentiality.
According to investigations, retirees — especially low-income ones — were the most affected, with discounts made without consent and, in many cases, without knowing the reason.
During its work, the commission approved more than 1,000 requests for breach of confidentiality, including bank, tax, telephone and telematic data. In total, 649 people and companies had confidentiality broken during the investigation.
The commission held 38 meetings, including deliberative sessions and hearings from witnesses and investigators. Congressmen also approved summons, information requirements and data sharing with control bodies.
Here is the summary of the commission’s work:
