In testimony to the Betting CPI, Wesley Cardia, former president of the National Association of Games and Lotteries, remained silent when faced with several questions from senators.
The issues were related to an alleged request for a bribe to the association, in exchange for protection in the Sports Betting CPI of the Chamber of Deputies, in 2023.
Anderson Ibrahim, representative of the company Air Golden and former football manager at Clube Atlético Patrocinense, also testified at the CPI.
A report in Veja magazine last September highlighted the warning made by José Francisco Manssur, former special advisor to the Ministry of Finance, to Minister Fernando Haddad about the bribery request.
Wesley Cardia was supported by a habeas corpus from the Minister of the Federal Supreme Court, Flávio Dino, which guaranteed him the right to silence. Even so, he read a statement justifying his decision:
“I applaud the Senate’s initiative in debating the manipulation of results and its intention to help society, operating companies and the Ministry of Finance, which has been striving to publish the best possible rules to curb this criminal practice.
I do not intend, however, to give rise to any situation that could create conclusions about the behavior of members of this Parliament, whether from the Senate or the Chamber of Deputies. And I, as a convinced democrat, understand that the National Congress is the most important and final voice of the Brazilian people.”
Anderson Ibrahim’s statement at the Betting CPI
In addition to Cardia, Anderson Ibrahim Rocha, representative of the company Air Golden, testified to the CPI. Ibrahim denied any knowledge of suspected manipulation in the match in which Patrocinense lost to Inter de Limeira 3-0 in Série D of the Brazilian Championship, on June 1, 2024.
However, this match is being investigated by the Federal Police in Operation Jogo Limpo due to suspicious movements in betting houses. “Patrocinense, for those who followed it in the Minas Gerais Championship, was unable to even complete its participation in the Minas Gerais state championship.”
Ibrahim added: “There were three W.O. in a row. So, the club was not being managed well, the institution was not being managed well. They sinned with payments, they sinned with logistics, they sinned with group administration, taking of decisions”.
CPI Actions
The CPI approved eight requests, including the summons of Camila Silva da Motta, the target of a criminal complaint in Operation Maximum Penalty. Finally, this operation is conducted by the Public Ministry of Goiás, regarding the manipulation of results in national competitions.
