Rejected plea deal claims Bolsonaro and Tarcísio campaign donations were bribes arranged by Kassab

Daniel Vorcaro’s proposed plea bargain was rejected by both the Federal Police and the Federal Prosecutor-General’s Office, but its allegations place R$5 million in campaign donations at the center of a bribery claim involving Brazil’s political establishment.

The former banker said official donations made in 2022 to Jair Bolsonaro and Tarcísio de Freitas were payments arranged with Gilberto Kassab, the president of the PSD. Bolsonaro received R$2 million from Fabiano Zettel, Vorcaro’s brother-in-law, while Tarcísio received R$3 million. Bolsonaro lost the presidential election, while Tarcísio won the São Paulo governorship and later appointed Kassab as his government secretary.

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an absolutely fanciful story

According to three plea proposals revealed by UOL and confirmed by Folha, the payments were described as financial compensation following an “improper arrangement with Gilberto Kassab.” Vorcaro said the arrangement was intended to keep Credcesta operating. The payroll-deducted credit card was used by companies linked to Master in financial maneuvers, and the operation began during João Doria’s administration through a company linked to Augusto Lima, a former business partner of Vorcaro.

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With the 2022 election in São Paulo and Tarcísio de Freitas’s rise as the likely winner, Augusto Lima, responsible for Credcesta’s expansion efforts, sought to ensure the business’s continuity with the São Paulo state government.

Vorcaro said the arrangement was designed to preserve the business as Tarcísio prepared to take office in January 2023. He alleged that it included 5% of the net results from Credcesta operations, along with contributions to allied campaigns. He said Kassab or his representatives indicated that partner parties would accept only official donations, although an initial plan had called for the campaign payment to be made entirely in cash.

Vorcaro further alleged that R$10 million was paid in cash, outside official accounts, to Kassab’s PSD, with the transfers arranged by Thiago Botelho. Kassab called the account “an absolutely fanciful story” and rejected it emphatically. Tarcísio said he had never had any contact or relationship with Vorcaro and knew nothing about the alleged events. Bolsonaro had not responded by publication.

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The payment related to the electoral donation would initially be made entirely in cash. However, Gilberto Kassab or his intermediaries told Augusto Lima that he needed to meet a commitment to partner political parties and raise funds, but that the partner parties would accept only official donations.