Lula attributes fraud in the INSS to Bolsonaro and calls victims to a return agreement

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) released on Friday (11) a video on social networks calling retirees and pensioners who were victims of undue discounts in their benefits to join the money return plan.

The measure is part of the government’s response to the INSS fraud scheme, which has reached millions of beneficiaries in recent years.

In the message, Lula again held the government of former President Jair Bolsonaro again, claiming that the irregularities originated during their management, although they extended until 2025.

“We want people to get back what was taken from them without having to resort to justice,” said Lula.

How it works

Adherence to the agreement began this Friday (11) and is free. According to the president of the INSS, Gilberto Waller, the first payments will be made on July 24 and will continue to be made daily until reaching the total of beneficiaries.

Initially, they will have priority:

• Beneficiaries who contested the discounts and did not answer in 15 days;
• Retirees and pensioners who already receive the benefit in active bank account.

“The first 100 thousand will be paid on the 24th. So we will follow, expecting to meet everyone who contested in the first month,” said Waller.

It will not be necessary to send additional documents. The amount will be deposited directly in the same account where the beneficiary already receives retirement or pension.

More than 1.8 million people would already be able to use the functionality, according to the INSS. Adhesion can also be done through face -to -face care at the post office.

Fraud scheme

The case of undue discounts on the benefits of the INSS has become one of the main focuses of political and institutional wear and tear involving social security. Reports point out that the scheme was operated by agreed entities, facilitating servers and systemic failures, and lasted even after internal alerts.

The opposition tries to capitalize on the episode to criticize the current driving of the agency, while the Lula government has adopted a line of accountability of previous management and a focus on reparatory measures.

The promotion of the video is part of Planalto’s effort to resume beneficiaries, show institutional response to the problem and empty critical discourses amid the fall of popularity in the latest research.