Former INSS president remains silent at the CPI and rapporteur threatens arrest

The former president of the National Social Security Institute (INSS) Alessandro Stefanutto said that he will remain silent during questions from the rapporteur of the INSS Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (CPI), deputy Alfredo Gaspar (União-AL), who threatened to arrest him if Stefanutto remained that way.

“Since what year have you been in public service?” asked Gaspar. “Mr President, I will not answer the question”, replied the former president of the INSS. The rapporteur laughed.

Stefanutto received, this Monday, the 13th, a habeas corpus from minister Luiz Fux, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), so he could remain silent during the CPI.

The defense then explained the positioning. “The guidance is that there are parliamentarians, like the rapporteur, who made the prejudgment,” said lawyer Julio Cesar de Souza Lima. “These prejudgments, facetious adjectives presented by the rapporteur, the defense interprets that any response is innocuous.”

The president of the CPI, senator Carlos Viana (Podemos-MG) said that Stefanutto is obliged to answer questions that do not incriminate him.

Stefanutto decided to maintain his position, even after pressure from members of the CPI. “In habeas corpus, Minister Fux says that whoever decides whether the question incriminates the witness or not is me and the lawyer. It’s my judgment,” said Stefanutto.

“That’s playing with us, president,” replied deputy Marcel van Hattem (Novo-RS). The rapporteur asked the question again and Stefanutto, for the third time, said he would not answer. Gaspar then said that Stefanutto would be arrested if he continued like this.

The opposition leaders, senator Rogério Marinho (PL-RN), and the government, deputy Paulo Pimenta (PT-RS) agreed to temporarily interrupt work to discuss a solution to the problem.

The hearing was resumed with Viana’s request to be “careful when dealing with Mr. Alessandro”. One of the appeals made by Pimenta is that Stefanutto not be interrupted during the answers.

The first to break the agreement was deputy Delegado Caveira (PL-PA), a few minutes after the resumption. Viana reprimanded Caveira, who is not a member of the CPI.

Stefanutto was the president of the INSS when the Federal Police launched Operation Without Discount, in April, to investigate an alleged fraudulent scheme involving unauthorized associative discounts on pensions. He was also dismissed in April.