Federal Police to Investigate Alleged Leak of Operation to Flávio Bolsonaro

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Federal Police reported on Sunday evening, May 17th, that it will investigate the potential leak of classified information from Operation ‘Furna da Onça’ to Senator Flávio Bolsonaro.

“All news of any alleged misconduct must be ascertained and, in this respect, it was decided today to initiate a new specific procedure for ascertaining the facts raised,” said the Federal Police (PF) in a statement released by its press office.

“It is further specified that an earlier report on the alleged information leak from the ‘Furna da Onça’ operation was duly investigated by the Federal Police through Police Inquiry No. 01/2019, which is currently reported”, reads the note. In the statement, the PF asserts that the police operation was launched in Rio de Janeiro on November 8th, 2018, and that the corresponding court orders were issued by the Federal Regional Court of the 2nd Region on October 31st, 2018, thus after the second round of the presidential election.

Motion to the Federal Supreme Court for an investigation

Earlier, a front of opposition federal deputies, the majority from PSOL (Socialism and Liberty Party), lodged a petition with the STF (Federal Supreme Court) for the senator and his alternate, entrepreneur Paulo Marinho, to be heard in the inquiry launched by the Supreme Court to investigate an attempt by President Jair Bolsonaro to interfere in the Federal Police.

The alleged attempt at interference in the PF was denounced by ex-Minister of Justice, Sérgio Moro. In an interview with the newspaper “Folha de S.Paulo” on Saturday, May 16th, the entrepreneur said that Flávio Bolsonaro came to see him after the second round of the presidential elections in 2018, and stated that he had prior knowledge about the Federal Police’s Operation “Furna da Onça”.

In the petition, 11 deputies request that Justice Celso de Mello, in charge of monitoring the investigations, ask for the Senator and his deputy to testify.

Deputies demand revocation and Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry

Earlier, the Office of the Prosecutor General (PGR) announced in a statement that it will examine the statements by the entrepreneur, a former political ally of the Bolsonaro clan, to decide whether or not to request his deposition in the inquiry.

Throughout the day, former allies and opposition politicians voiced their views on Marinho’s disclosures with demands for a revocation of mandate, impeachment, and a Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry (CPI) in Congress.

Source: UOL