This Tuesday morning (23), the Civil Police launched Operation Capa Dura in Porto Alegre. The action was triggered after an investigation based on complaints from political parties about alleged bidding fraud in the purchase of educational books by the Municipal Department of Education of the capital of Rio Grande do Sul.
Four people were temporarily arrested and eight public servants had their duties suspended for 180 days. Furthermore, 11 companies and two businesspeople are prohibited from contracting with public authorities.
According to the Civil Police, among the targets of the operation were these two businessmen and around 10 public employees.
Among the crimes investigated are bidding fraud, criminal association and money laundering.
The investigation found the purchase of 544 thousand books, worth R$34 million. The material would be used to compose the libraries of elementary schools in the municipal network.
According to the police, the budgets would have been forged with higher values by other companies – linked to the businessmen investigated – so that the bids involved in the scheme could be chosen. Furthermore, in order for the procedures to proceed quickly, according to the investigation, the books would have been distributed without planning, and were even accumulated in deposits.
36 search and seizure warrants were executed in five states: Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, Rio de Janeiro and Maranhão.
See note from Porto Alegre city hall:
Regarding the Civil Police operation on the morning of this Tuesday, 23rd, the City of Porto Alegre reinforces that the investigation of incidents at the Municipal Department of Education (Smed) began at the Executive level, as determined by the mayor, in June of last year.
All information collected in the internal audit was shared with the control bodies to deepen the investigations, in addition to the adoption of restructuring measures in the organization's logistics and acquisitions operations. Management strives for transparency and fairness in the application of public resources and has every interest in clarifying the facts, being in full collaboration with the institutions.
Source: CNN Brasil
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