The Federal Police (PF) seized two cell phones from Senator Jaques Wagner (PT), leader of the Lula government in the Senate, during the ninth phase of Operation Compliance Zero, which investigates crimes of corruption, money laundering and financial fraud involving Banco Master.
Investigators want to know the content of Wagner’s conversations with Bahian businessman Augusto Ferreira Lima, who was a partner of banker Daniel Vorcaro. Part of these conversations have already been identified on Lima’s cell phone, who was arrested in Operation Compliance Zero, was released and was searched today.
The PF will also check whether there was direct contact between Wagner and Vorcaro, which he vehemently denies.
In addition to the two devices, PF agents also seized US$49,000 in cash in a hotel room in Brasília and an amount of US$6,100 and 33,500 at an address in Salvador, both linked to the parliamentarian. According to the current quote, the total value corresponds to R$479 thousand.
Wagner explained that a large part of this money refers to daily allowances paid by the Senate due to trips abroad.
— I traveled abroad, sent it until I got up. And, from 2019 to now, I received approximately US$70 thousand dollars per day, and other times when I went traveling I bought it via Banco do Brasil, where I have an account, dollars or euros, to make the trip. So, I have nothing to hide – said the senator, in an interview with BandNews.
The parliamentarian also stated that he is “absolutely calm” regarding the investigations and denied any irregularities.
— I never received money from anyone, much less from Master or Augusto Lima. So, I’m absolutely comfortable,” he said in the interview.
According to data published on the Transparency Portal and consulted by GLOBO, Wagner received US$66,800 in daily allowances for 27 official trips between 2019 and 2026.
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The search warrants carried out at their addresses were determined by the Minister of the Federal Supreme Court André Mendonça. In the order, he wrote that the PF named Wagner as the “central beneficiary” of “economic advantages” paid by Lima in exchange for his work in the National Congress on behalf of the financial institution. Among these benefits are payments for a R$2.45 million apartment in Salvador, the use of private aircraft and tickets to an international show.
In a statement, Augusto Lima’s defense classified the PF’s actions today as “unnecessary”, as he had already been available to the authorities “six months ago”.
“In any case, the measures will contribute to demonstrating that the facts discovered at this stage of the investigation are strictly lawful. Augusto Lima has always acted within the limits of the law, with transparency, technical responsibility and compliance with the rules that govern the financial system and public administration”, says the text.
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Wagner has been leading the government in the Senate throughout Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s third presidential term. In past PT administrations, he held important roles in the federal government, such as the ministries of the Civil House, Defense and Institutional Relations.
