The change of the Federal Police team responsible for investigations into INSS fraud opened a new front of political friction between the opposition and the Lula government. The leader of the PL in the Chamber, deputy Sóstenes Cavalcante (RJ), announced that he will present a request to summon the corporation’s general director, Andrei Rodrigues, to provide clarifications to Congress.
The movement occurs after the PF removed the sector that had been conducting the investigations from handling the case, including steps related to the request for breach of confidentiality involving Fábio Luiz Lula da Silva, known as Lulinha, son of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).
The decision provoked an immediate reaction from the opposition, which began to question the reasons for the change at a phase considered sensitive in the investigation.
As it is a formal summons, the eventual approval of the request would oblige Andrei Rodrigues to appear before the Chamber. Sóstenes has not yet defined which committee he intends to file the request with.
In a post on social media, the deputy stated that the change in command of the investigations raises “legitimate questions” and demanded similar treatment to that given to episodes involving former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL).
The parliamentarian directly cited the 2020 crisis, when Bolsonaro tried to replace the command of the Federal Police in Rio de Janeiro amid investigations involving family members and political allies.
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“When Jair Bolsonaro tried to replace a superintendent of the Federal Police, there was an immediate reaction from political sectors, the press and even the STF under the argument of defending the autonomy of the PF. Now, faced with the change of the delegate responsible for investigations linked to the son of the current President of the Republic, the silence of many draws attention”, wrote Sóstenes.
The PL leader also stated that the call seeks to guarantee “clear explanations” about the episode and ensure that there is no political interference in the investigations.
The Federal Police, in turn, denies any political motivation in the change.
In a statement, the corporation stated that the transfer of investigations to the Coordination of Inquiries in Superior Courts (Cinq) was made to provide “greater efficiency and continuity” to the investigations. According to the PF, Cinq has a permanent structure specifically focused on complex cases being processed at the Federal Supreme Court.
