Brazil Senate Covid-19 investigative committee secures 27 signatures to extend work

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Under its initial 90-day deadline, the committee is scheduled to end on August 7.

The request to extend the work of the Covid CPI in the Senate for another 90 days has secured the 27 signatures needed. The information was given by the staff of CPI’s vice president Senator Randolfe Rodrigues (Rede-AP) on Monday, June 28, who had earlier submitted the extension request.

With its initial 90-day deadline, the committee is scheduled to end on August 7. According to Senate Rules, to extend this deadline the request must be signed by one third of Senate members, or 27 senators, be notified in writing to the Presiding Officers of the House, read in plenary and published in the Senate Gazette.

In the request submitted earlier, Randolfe said that the current deadline would be insufficient and said it was “imperative” to extend activities. He recalled that the committee has “uncovered corruption schemes and favoritism” of certain companies with funds intended to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Civil servants were subjected to non-republican pressure to ease Covaxin’s import. Deponents pointed out that even the president of the Republic was alerted to irregularities and, rather than investigating them, credited them to the very government leader of the Chamber of Deputies. It is a scandal that needs to be investigated with corresponding gravity.”

The CPI intends to investigate the connection of government leader in the Chamber Ricardo Barros (Progressistas-PR), with the purchase of other vaccines by the Ministry of Health, in addition to the Covaxin. In all three cases, the picture is similar: more expensive vaccines bought from international laboratories through intermediaries in Brazil, with links to the government leader.

The new line of investigation is being discussed following the testimony of federal deputy Luis Miranda (DEM-DF) and Health Ministry employee Luis Ricardo Miranda, the legislator’s brother, last Friday, June 25. Luis Miranda said he heard the name of Ricardo Barros from president Jair Bolsonaro when he alerted him to an alleged corruption scheme in the purchase of the Indian Covaxin vaccine.

Barros denies any wrongdoing.

Source: Exame

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