André Mendonça releases former president of Contag not to go to the INSS CPI

Minister André Mendonça, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), released Aristides Veras dos Santos, former president of Contag (National Confederation of Rural Workers, Farmers and Family Farmers), not to go to the INSS Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) in the National Congress. The magistrate also gave him the option of appearing at the CPI, but remaining silent.

Santos’ testimony was scheduled for this Monday (16). He was summoned to conduct an investigation by the commission. Contag is one of the entities investigated for illegal discounts on retirement and pensions of INSS beneficiaries.

The confederation collected approximately R$2 billion in associative discounts applied to INSS benefits. The Federal Police and the Public Ministry pointed out fraud in the operations, and the CPI approved the summons of the entity’s former director.

Santos is accused of having requested the mass release of 34,487 associative Social Security discounts. The INSS released the discounts in a single batch in November 2023, contrary to the opinion of the Specialized Federal Attorney’s Office at the INSS, the agency’s legal advisory body.

This Sunday, the 15th, Mendonça removed the obligation for the trade unionist to appear at the CPI, leaving the decision of whether or not to go to the collegiate to give a statement up to him. If he attends, he may remain silent. According to the decision “there is jurisprudence from the Federal Supreme Court, to the effect that the right of an investigated person to not self-incriminate covers the right to attend or not the act.”