AGU requests freezing of assets of 14 more people investigated for INSS fraud
The Attorney General's Office ( AGU ) filed, this Friday (9), a request in the Federal Court to include six companies and eight people in the precautionary action filed against associations investigated for irregular discounts in benefits for retirees and pensioners of the National Institute of Social Security ( INSS ).
The companies and their partners mentioned in the new request are accused of acting as intermediaries for the payment of undue benefits to public agents linked to the INSS and to other individuals related to them. To date, it is estimated that the transfer of undue amounts to these public agents amounts to R$23.8 million .
The AGU also requests the freezing of assets of the partners of these companies on the grounds that “the legal entities were used as an instrument for illicit practices of a criminal, administrative and civil nature, serving as a means to obtain advantages from resources unduly extracted from the benefits of retirees and pensioners”.
“The ongoing investigations reveal strong evidence that the companies mentioned directly participated in the intermediation of millions in amounts,” says the AGU in the supplementary petition. “ This financial engineering supported the criminal scheme , which consisted of passing on amounts unduly discounted by the associations and paying illicit advantages to public agents who allowed or facilitated these discounts.”
On Thursday (8), the AGU filed an urgent precautionary action to request the blocking of movable and immovable assets in the order of R$2.56 billion against 12 associative entities (and their directors) investigated for irregular discounts made on benefits of retirees and pensioners.
In total, the request to freeze assets involves twelve entities, seven of which are on the list of eleven investigated by the Federal Police. The AGU also requested the lifting of tax and banking secrecy of these entities and their directors, the seizure of the passports of those involved and the suspension of their activities.
According to the Attorney General of the Union, Jorge Messias, two groups were identified among the 12 entities investigated: the first is formed by entities that present strong indications of having been created exclusively for the purpose of committing fraud and the second group includes those with indications of paying bribes to federal public agents.
CNN Brasil
