Dino lifts confidentiality on inquiry into amendments for Dark Horse film in São Paulo
Minister Flávio Dino removed confidentiality from documents produced by São Paulo's Civil Police into alleged misappropriation of parliamentary amendments for financing the Dark Horse film, about Bolsonaro.
Supreme Court centralises investigation into Dark Horse financing after Dino lifts confidentiality
Minister Flávio Dino of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) lifted confidentiality from documents produced by São Paulo's Civil Police in the inquiry examining the alleged redirection of parliamentary amendments to finance the film Dark Horse, about former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL). The decision was handed down on Sunday (13/09), according to bbc.com.
In the ruling, registered under Petition nº 16.669/DF, Dino further determined that the STF centralise the inquiry previously conducted by the state Civil Police. The minister grounded the lifting of confidentiality in the necessity to ensure transparency and prevent selective leaks.
After examining material from the São Paulo investigation, Dino stated that the elements indicate a possible "sophisticated scheme of allocation and misappropriation of public resources", with emphasis on federal parliamentary amendments. In the same decision, he ordered that the Public Security Secretariat of São Paulo deliver to the Federal Police all raw material extracted from seized mobile phones, as well as devices, computers and documents collected.
Two branches of the investigation
The case proceeds at the STF on two distinct fronts. The one reported by Dino targets the possible irregular use of parliamentary amendments. The second examines the origin and destination of resources sent by former banker Daniel Vorcaro, of Banco Master, to finance the film — transfers made after requests from senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL).
Police operation and the targets
Among the main targets are federal deputy Mario Frias (PL-SP), executive producer of Dark Horse and former Culture Secretary of the Bolsonaro government, and Karina Gama, partner of production company Go Up Entertainment. The two were subject to a police operation on Thursday (10/09), designed to investigate the alleged misappropriation of public resources from amendments passed, through promotion agreements, to civil society organisations.
Frias is accused of having sent R$ 2 million to Gama, who simultaneously heads an institute dedicated to social projects and the Go Up production company. According to Dino's decision authorising the operation, initial investigations point to possible crimes involving Frias and an alleged criminal group of which he would be part. Federal public resources would have been directed, via parliamentary amendments, to Instituto Conhecer Brasil (ICB) and Academia Nacional de Cultura (ANC), both presided over by Ferreira da Gama, identified as a person with connections to the parliamentarian.
Frias's defence
In a video posted on social media on Thursday evening, Frias described the operation as a "smoke screen" during the electoral period. The deputy stated that the amendment under investigation was intended for a sports and digital literacy project for children and said he had documents and notes to prove the regularity of its allocation.
Frias added that his defence cannot access the inquiry. "They took my mobile phone, documents, computer. Nobody was arrested. Of course, because there is no arrest warrant against me or against anyone", the parliamentarian declared. In May, he had already denied any sending of amendments to the film Dark Horse, describing the proposition as "absolutely false, devoid of any evidentiary basis and defamatory".
Reference to the PCC
In Sunday's decision, Dino makes reference to a possible participation by Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) in the scheme. The minister, however, did not detail the role attributed to the faction, did not identify members or specify conduct. "This organisation would achieve, including, links with the PCC faction (Primeiro Comando da Capital), according to the investigative line mentioned in the case file", Dino noted in the ruling.
Source: Google News BR — Crime