Two Brazil governors under fire over alleged corruption related to Covid spending

Two Brazilian governors got here underneath extra hearth Wednesday over allegations of corruption associated to Covid-19 spending, with one having his house raided and one other set to face an impeachment course of.

Federal police raided the federal government palace of Para state within the Amazon area as effectively Governor Helder Barbalho’s house as a part of an investigation into alleged fraud within the buy of ventilators for treating Covid-19. The search order focused a complete of 23 addresses in six states and Brazil’s federal district in Brasilia, police mentioned in an announcement.

Barbalho is the second governor to be investigated in relation to suspect medical expenditures throughout the pandemic.

On May 26, police searched the residence of Rio de Janeiro state Governor Wilson Witzel as a part of an investigation into alleged irregularities in contracts awarded for the development of emergency subject hospitals. Rio legislators voted practically unanimously Wednesday to start impeachment proceedings towards the governor.

Witzel has promised eight emergency subject hospitals, however just one has opened, close to the Maracana soccer stadium.

He denied any wrongdoing and mentioned he was the sufferer of political persecution.

“I am at ease about my innocence. I will keep on working as governor and will prepare my defense. I am sure that the deputies will judge the facts as they really are,“ said a statement from Witzel, who will continue in office unless the legislative process leads to his impeachment and removal.

Both Witzel and Barbalho have criticized President Jair Bolsonaro’s rejection of quarantine measures to contain spread of the coronavirus.

The alleged fraud in Para stemmed from the acquisition of ventilators worth millions of dollars, done so without a call for bids as allowed by state of emergency protocols during the pandemic. The equipment deployment was delayed and ultimately useless for patients with Covid-19, according to the police statement, which said investigators are looking into alleguations of money laundering and corruption.

The judge who ordered the raid froze $5 million in the bank accounts of Barbalho and seven others, prosecutors said. They said there are indications the governor has a close relationship with the executive who supplied the ventilators and also knew they were inadequate.

“I am at ease and available for any clarification. I acted in time to avoid damage to the treasury, since the resources were returned to the state,” Barbalho mentioned on Twitter. “I am not a friend of the businessman and obviously did not know that the ventilators would not work.” During the operation, police discovered dozens of bundles of money in a house belonging to Peter Cassol, former secretary of administrative administration on the state well being division, based on photographs proven by TV Globo. In the afternoon, the federal government introduced Cassol’s dismissal.

The Para authorities mentioned in an announcement that it had already gone to court docket to file for compensation from the suppliers for damages.

Para is Brazil’s fourth hardest-hit state, with about 62,000 confirmed coronavirus circumstances and greater than 3,900 deaths, based on official information, which is taken into account by specialists to be a big undercount.

Bolsonaro modified the pinnacle of the federal police in April, sparking suspicion of political interference within the drive as alleged by former Justice Minister Sérgio Moro, who resigned.