The Senate Education Commission received, in audience this Thursday (7), the president of the National Education Development Fund (FNDE), Marcelo Lopes da Ponte, who denied any connection with an alleged corruption scheme involving transfers of funds from the Ministry of Education to prefectures.
The commission evaluates the complaints about the suspicion that the former Minister of Education Milton Ribeiro practiced undue benefits in the allocation of public funds from the MEC through the intermediation of pastors Arilton Moura and Gilmar Santos, who would collect bribes from mayors.
The president of the FNDE confirmed that he participated in at least four agendas with these religious, but said that he did not witness “suspicious conversations” on any of the occasions. Ponte also denied that any Fund employee has relationships with pastors or even with mayors who would have benefited from the transfers.
Regarding the times he met with Arilton Moura and Gilmar Santos, the president of the FNDE stated that they were formal meetings at public events, and that the role of pastors on these occasions was to only say prayers.
“Sometimes they made some speech, some prayer. That’s what I realized, that I had understanding. Nothing else that I’ve noticed. That’s what they usually did,” she recalled.
During the hearing, which lasted about four hours, Ponte reaffirmed that the transfer of funds to all the municipalities mentioned in the complaints about the alleged favoritism scheme mediated by the religious “was suspended by the FNDE as a precautionary measure”.
The evangelical pastors accused of influence peddling, Arilton Moura and Gilmar Santos, were invited by the commission to participate in the same hearing, however, they sent letters informing them that they would not attend.
Setting up a CPI
Faced with the refusal of the religious, the president of the Education Commission, Senator Marcelo Castro (MDB-PI), spoke again about the possibility of establishing a Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) to investigate the case.
“What we want is to clarify the facts. What is up to us is that public resources really fulfill their role in society, for us to have better quality education. at least he [o presidente do FNDE] came here and honored our commission,” said Castro.
For the establishment of a CPI, 27 signatures of senators are required. At the moment, the application for opening the commission of inquiry has 25 names.
Defense of Milton Ribeiro
The FNDE manager also defended the former Minister of Education Milton Ribeiro during his participation in the hearing.
“Minister Milton Ribeiro is a person of my highest esteem, of cordiality, respect. I believe in his conduct, in the attitude he had towards the Ministry. My relationship with him was always the best possible,” said Ponte.
In the opinion of the president of the Fund, his name was used, as well as that of the former minister Ribeiro, for lobbying on issues related to Education. “I believe that third parties used our name to bragging rights or lobbying without our authorization,” he said.
Understand the allegations against Milton Ribeiro
In an audio obtained by the newspaper “Folha de S.Paulo” and in reports from “O Estado de S. Paulo”, Ribeiro is involved in what would be a scheme to favor pastors in the ministry.
In a recorded conversation, the minister says that he received a request from President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) for the release of funds from the portfolio to be directed to specific prefectures from the negotiation made by two evangelical pastors who do not hold positions in the federal government.
In the recording, Ribeiro says that it is “a special request from the President of the Republic”. “It was a special request that the President of the Republic made to me on the issue of [pastor] Gilmar”, says the minister in a conversation with mayors and two other pastors, according to the newspaper.
Ribeiro continues: “Because my priority is to first serve the municipalities that need it most and, second, to serve all those who are friends of Pastor Gilmar.”
Pastors Gilmar Santos and Arilton Moura are mentioned in the audios. According to the newspaper, the two religious men have been negotiating with city governments to release federal funds for works in day care centers, schools and the purchase of technology equipment.
In the leaked conversation, Bolsonaro’s minister indicates that, with the release of resources, there may be a counterpart.
“The support we ask for is no secret, it can be [inaudível] it is support on building churches”. In the audios, it is not clear how this support would be given.
Last year, to save parliamentary amendments from a bigger cut, the government blocked R$9.2 billion of expenses from ministries and state agencies, which mainly affect Education.
Ribeiro denied that he favored pastors. In a note sent to CNNthe minister also said that the president “did not ask anyone for preferential assistance, he only asked that he could receive everyone who came to us”.
Ribeiro left the Ministry of Education on March 28.
“I will not say goodbye, I will say see you soon”, says the Minister of Education in a draft of a letter to be delivered to Bolsonaro. Ribeiro is the subject of an investigation by the Federal Police (PF) and the Federal Supreme Court (STF) on suspicion of favoring pastors in the distribution of funds from the Ministry of Education (MEC).
In the letter, Ribeiro says that his life “has undergone a major transformation” since the publication of a report that implicated him in a scheme to favor pastors within the MEC.
Source: CNN Brasil
