The secretary general of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s political party, the Workers Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores) (PT), Raul Pont, declared that there is no seriousness, legitimacy or authority in statements made by the former PT secretary general, SÀlvio Pereira, in a Sunday interview in O Globo newspaper.
According to Pereira, the objective of the so-called Valério pipeline (a slush fund run by adman/businessman Marcos Valério) was to collect US$ 490 million (1 billion reais) through four sources: Banco Econômico, Banco Mercantil de Pernambuco, Opportunity and agricultural sector liabilities.
"Without a doubt the opposition will want to heat this up again although I do not see anything new in what Pereira said. All this is just a lot of warmed over accusations that have already been dealt with in the CPI (Congressional Investigative Commission) and by government prosecutors.
"What Pereira needs to do is go to the government’s Chief Prosecutor (Procurador Geral) or the Federal Police if he has anything to say," said Pont in an interview on Notícias da Manhã, on Rádio Nacional.
Pont went on to say that Pereira’s mentioning president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; senator Aloísio Mercadante; the ex-president of the PT, José Genoíno; and former minister, Chief of Staff (Casa Civil), José Dirceu, as responsible for the party’s activities, was only a reflection of the fact that all of them are members of the Campo Majoritário wing of the party that controls the PT.
According to Pont, "He [Pereira] and Delúbio [the former treasurer of the PT] were the people mainly responsible for the Valerio scheme. They have to answer not only to the PT, but to the judiciary for what they did."
Agência Brasil
