Man arrested for attempting to bribe councillor in São Paulo with R$ 200,000
A man was arrested in flagrante at São Paulo City Council after offering R$ 200,000 in bribes to councillor Amanda Vettorazzo. He sought a R$ 60 million contract with the City Hall.
Arrested in flagrante following attempted bribery of councillor at São Paulo City Council
A man was arrested in flagrante on Tuesday afternoon (25) after offering R$ 200,000 in bribes to councillor Amanda Vettorazzo (União) inside her office at São Paulo City Council. The legislator, who is also campaign coordinator for Renan Santos, candidate of the Missão party, reported the case to the press and contacted the Metropolitan Civil Guard (GCM), according to reporting by gazetadopovo.com.br, which had access to the Occurrence Report (BO).
According to Amanda, the suspect represented a company supplying corporate cameras and was interested in closing a R$ 60 million contract with São Paulo City Hall. To achieve this, he sought the councillor's political intermediation — proposing a 10 per cent commission on the deal, which would amount to up to R$ 6 million. The R$ 200,000 offered in the office would be an "advance" on this alleged commission.
The man had previously been received by the legislator at the Public Security Commission, accompanied by two technicians, to present the company's technology solutions. "He asked if he could present at the Public Security Commission, and I said: 'Of course'. He came with two technicians, presented the proposal and ended up being refuted on several points for technical reasons," Amanda told the press in front of the police station.
Following the technical refusal, the suspect went directly to the councillor's office and made the bribery proposal. Amanda stated that she gave him the arrest warning immediately after hearing the offer. The video of the approach was sent by the campaign team to the newsroom.
The arrested man was taken to the 1st Police District of São Paulo, where the occurrence was reported, the arrest was ratified and the BO was drawn up. The suspect may be charged with active corruption, a crime with a sentence of 2 to 12 years imprisonment, plus a fine. The newsroom opted not to disclose the name of the suspect or the company whilst awaiting the full police record and a statement from the defence. The São Paulo Public Security Secretariat was also contacted to provide the document.
During the press conference in which the case was reported, Missão's presidential candidate Renan Santos took the opportunity to announce Amanda Vettorazzo as the future chief minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, in the event of electoral victory. "Amanda has always been the most courageous of the group," Santos told the press. "The general secretariat handles everything from communications to organising the presidency of the republic in its relationship with the ministries. It is a noble function, which is why Amanda is the most suitable," he added.
Source: Google News BR — São Paulo