In his first week as president of the Central Bank (BC), Gabriel Galípolo showed his willingness to collaborate with investigations into the use of Bolsa Família resources in sports betting.
In a meeting with the new president of the Federal Audit Court (TCU), Vital do Rêgo, Galípolo promised to provide information on transactions via Pix carried out by beneficiaries of the social program.
Therefore, the focus of the investigation is on a report from the BC itself that points to the allocation of R$3 billion to bookmakers in August last year. The document indicates that 4 million heads of families, beneficiaries of Bolsa Família, would have sent around R$2 billion to these platforms.
However, it is worth remembering that the report’s methodology was questioned by the market. The Central Bank, in a response released by Folha through the Access to Information Law (LAI), did not rule out possible errors in the survey’s conclusions.
Thus, the statements drew attention, especially when the institution admitted that it had not prepared supporting documents for the technical note presented in September.
Use of Bolsa Família resources
According to TCU ministers, the amounts received through Bolsa Família are public in nature and, therefore, must be used exclusively for the subsistence of those registered.
In the conversation with Vital do Rêgo, Gabriel Galípolo stated that the Central Bank will look for a way to collaborate without violating banking secrecy. In other words, the intention is to clarify whether the beneficiaries actually placed the bets or whether their documents were misused by third parties.
Bets CPI and TCU’s protagonism
Meanwhile, Congress conducts the Bets CPI, investigating possible irregularities in the sports betting sector. The TCU seeks to take a leading role in the issue, arguing that investigations into the use of public resources require priority attention.
Therefore, a more in-depth analysis of the case is crucial to determine whether there was fraud or misuse of purpose in the use of Bolsa Família. Thus, collaboration between BC and TCU can provide the necessary answers to unravel the destination of this money.
