The attempt to establish a Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) into Banco Master in the Legislative Assembly (Alerj) has been blocked for now by the Court of Justice of Rio de Janeiro (TJ-RJ). The Court denied the injunction request filed by... State Representative Flávio Serafini (Psol) to compel the Rio de Janeiro State Legislative Assembly (Alerj) to immediately open the commission that intends to investigate investments by RioPrevidência and Cedae linked to the financial group.
The legislator filed a writ of mandamus last week alleging negligence on the part of the Assembly's presidency. According to Serafini, the request already has the 24 signatures required to begin the proceedings.
In his decision, Judge Cherubin Helcias Schwartz Junior acknowledged that the request meets the requirements for the creation of a Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI), such as a minimum number of signatures, a definition of the investigated fact, and a set deadline. Even so, the judge decided to hear from the Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro (Alerj) before analyzing the merits of the case.
How Parliamentary Commissions of Inquiry Work
The judge also requested information on how many Parliamentary Inquiry Commissions are currently operating in the Assembly. The House's internal regulations establish a maximum limit of seven parliamentary inquiry commissions operating simultaneously.
According to Serafini, only one CPI (Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry) is currently active, the commission on vessels. "Today there is only one CPI underway in the House. Unfortunately, the presidency of the Alerj (Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro) does not want to establish the CPIs and is postponing this process over the weeks," stated the deputy.
He also criticized the delay in establishing the commission. "Meanwhile, we don't know how much Rioprevidência and Cedae lost because the amounts are so discrepant," he stated.
New Parliamentary Commissions of Inquiry announced
This Tuesday (26), however, Alerj announced the creation of four new CPIs. The resolutions were signed by the president of the House, state deputy Douglas Ruas (PL), and published in the Legislative Official Gazette. The committees will have seven members and an initial deadline of 90 days to complete their work, with the possibility of extension.
According to the Assembly, when the current presidency took over the management of the House in April of this year, there were 14 requests for the creation of Parliamentary Commissions of Inquiry (CPIs) filed. During a meeting of the College of Leaders, Douglas Ruas informed that he had forwarded the requests to the Attorney General's Office of the Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro (Alerj) for analysis.
According to the Attorney General's opinion, the committees must follow the chronological order of the requests submitted. Among the new CPIs created is the committee proposed by Deputy Dani Monteiro (Psol) to investigate the socio-environmental impacts of the rains and the climate crisis in the state.
Another committee, proposed by Representative Anderson Moraes (PL), will investigate possible links between non-governmental organizations and drug trafficking.
Also created were the CPI proposed by deputy Rodrigo Amorim (PL) on the repercussions of the Petrópolis climate tragedy in 2022 and the commission presented by deputy Yuri Moura (Psol) to investigate failures in the supply of electricity by Enel in the interior of the state.
Investments under investigation
The request to create a Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) into Banco Master aims to investigate investments estimated at R$ 2,6 billion made by RioPrevidência and approximately R$ 200 million invested by Cedae in Banco Master and companies linked to the financial group.
Serafini also raised questions about payroll loan operations involving retirees and public servants. "We have over 100 retirees paying monthly loan interest rates that reach 100% to Banco Master," he said.
In another public statement, the congressman asserted that doubts still exist regarding the actual amounts involved in the financial transactions.
“Meanwhile, fundamental questions remain unanswered: ultimately, did Rio lose R$ 1 billion, R$ 2,6 billion, or more than R$ 3 billion in Banco Master?” he questioned. The congressman also asked how much public money may have been compromised. “How much of the money belonging to retirees and Cedae [the water and sewage company] was put at risk?” he stated.
Discussion about signatures
Regarding the CPI (Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry) on Banco Master, Alerj (Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro) reported that there was a request to withdraw the signature from deputy Vinicius Cozzolino (PSD).Serafini's advisors, however, argue that the Assembly's internal regulations do not allow the withdrawal of endorsements after the request has been filed.
Even without the injunction, the process continues in the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice. The final decision will depend on the information that will be forwarded by the Legislative Assembly. Serafini stated that he will continue to defend the creation of the commission.
“We will not back down. We have already confronted many powerful people in this state and we remain on the front lines to hold accountable those who have turned Rio de Janeiro into a marketplace for deals,” he declared.
The congressman also stated that he intends to continue using political and judicial measures to try to make the CPI (Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry) viable. "We will use all political and legal instruments to guarantee the CPI on Banco Master and defend retirees, public servants, and public money," he concluded.
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