Following testimony at the Brazil’s Chief Federal Prosecutor’s Office (Procuradoria-Geral da República) (PGR), adman/businessman Marcos Valério declared that he did not believe that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was aware of his (Valério’s) financial transactions with the president’s party, the Worker’s Party (PT).
“I say this because I never talked to President Lula, never had any contact with him. I am just telling you what I saw, what happened,” Valério told reporters.
According to Valério, his advertising agencies loaned a total of US$ 23.5 million (55 million reais) to the PT. He claimed that the funds were raised in private banks and transferred to the PT.
“The funds came from the private sector and were passed on to the PT itself, or to others indicated by the PT,” said Valério, adding that he had turned over copies of all his contracts with the PT to the PGR and that he continued negotiating the payment of the loans with the PT.
No Plea Bargaining
The government’s Chief Prosecutor (procurador-geral da República), Antônio Fernando de Souza, reports that he continues to deny Valério plea bargaining rights (“delação premiada”).
“This is just not an opportune moment. The situation remains cloudy and there is no way to tell exactly how much help Valério will really provide for our investigations,” declared Souza, adding:
“So far he has not given us any decisive information that helped clear up obscure points in the case.”
Agência Brasil