The CPI for the Manipulation of Sports Betting and Games summoned José Francisco Manssur, former special advisor to the Ministry of Finance, to give testimony.
The session will take place on Wednesday (19), at 2 pm. Senator Eduardo Girão (Novo-CE) requested the call based on a report in Veja magazine.
Report of extortion and repercussions on manipulation of results
Eduardo Girão highlighted the importance of Manssur‘s testimony in clarifying the facts. “Manssur was approached by the president of the National Association of Games and Lotteries, Wesley Cardia, who narrated in a private conversation that he was approached by deputy Felipe Carreras (PSB-PE), rapporteur for the CPI on Sports Betting. He allegedly asked him for R$35 million in exchange for help and protection,” wrote Girão in the application, reproducing the text from the magazine.
He also added to the request an excerpt from the report stating that, according to Cardia, “this would not have been the first question from the congressman, as an advisor to the congressman had already contacted him previously”.
According to the publication, other members of the CPI would also have pressured the sector in search of financial advantages. The senator from Ceará believes that the former advisor’s testimony will help clarify several aspects investigated by the CPI on Manipulation in the Senate.
Therefore, the Sports Betting CPI investigates possible irregularities in the sector and manipulation of results in Brazilian football.
Manssur was one of those responsible for regulating betting in Brazil
In February, José Francisco Manssur, special advisor to the Ministry of Finance and one of those responsible for regulating sports betting in the Federal Government, left his position.
The Special Communication Advisory of the Ministry of Finance issued an official note on the occasion. “The process was conducted throughout 2023 and concluded in December, after the approval of the new legislation in the National Congress and sanction by the Presidency of the Republic. The Ministry of Finance is grateful for the work provided by Francisco Manssur throughout this period”.
Thus, José Francisco Manssur is a lawyer and has experience in public management, having worked at the Metropolitan Transport Secretariat of the State of São Paulo.
