After arrest, Milton Ribeiro’s wife said that former minister knew about PF operation

Shortly after former Minister of Education Milton Ribeiro was arrested by the Federal Police last Wednesday (22), his wife told a person over the phone that he already knew he would be the target of an operation. The conversation, over the phone, was tapped by the Federal Police.

“He ‘was’, deep down, he didn’t want to believe it, but he ‘was’ knowing. I said: ‘to have rumors from above, it’s because the business was already ‘right’”, said Myrian Ribeiro when commenting on the arrest. The man who talks to her was identified only as Edu.

In a statement sent to the Federal Court, delegate Bruno Calandrini, responsible for the investigation, says that the statement “leads to believe” that the former minister had been informed in advance about the possibility of an operation.

Calandrini also mentions another tapped conversation, between Milton Ribeiro and his daughter, in which the former minister says he received an alert from President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) about the possibility of the Federal Police opening searches against him.

“He thinks they’re going to do a search and seizure at home,” he says. The search and seizure warrants were carried out on Wednesday, the 22nd, in Operation Acesso Pago, which came to arrest Milton Ribeiro and pastors Gilmar Santos and Arilton Moura. They were released after obtaining habeas corpus to await investigations in freedom.

After the release of Milton Ribeiro, by order of the judge Ney Bello, of the Federal Regional Court of the 1st Region, in Brasília, Calandrini sent an internal message to the corporation in which he says that the former Minister of Education was treated with “honors” in the PF headquarters in São Paulo. The delegate denounced that there had been “interference” in favor of the former minister.

The investigation, which had been transferred to the Federal Court in Brasília after Milton Ribeiro left office in March and lost its privileged forum, was sent back to the Federal Supreme Court (STF) on suspicion of breach of secrecy and personal favoritism.

Check out the content of the conversation of the ex-minister’s wife:

Myrian Ribeiro : — As the oldest said, “steady as a jelly”

Man : — What a thing, ‘hem’. I came here on the day [trecho ininteligível]

Myrian Ribeiro : — When he called me, I asked if you ‘were’ there and he said he didn’t want to involve you, that’s why we told you to come up [trecho ininteligível].

Man : — See, Miss Myriam, look…

Myrian Ribeiro : — Did Matthew call you?

Man : — Called. If you want to go to Brasília, you can go, see, Miriam.

Myrian Ribeiro : – No. He’s under arrest, Edu.

Man : — But it won’t stay there.

Myrian Ribeiro : — Mateus ‘was’ explaining that [pausa] the lawyer will try a habeas corpus and maybe if he stays in […] home. There it is in Santos, we [trecho ininteligível]. He ‘was’, deep down, he didn’t want to believe it, but he knew. I said: to have rumors from the top, it’s because the business was already ‘right’.

Man : – That’s right. That’s right. All right, right?

Myrian Ribeiro : – My goodness.

(With information from Estadão Content)