Former Social Security Minister Carlos Lupi said on Monday (8) that the federal government had been following possible irregularities in retirement since 2023, from complaints that came to the knowledge of the ministry through the Ombudsman and the platform of my INSS.
By testifying in the INSS’s Mixed Parliamentary Committee (CPMI), Lupi argued, however, that he had no size of fraud.
“We never had the ability to scale the size, the volume these criminals made in the INSS. This was only possible after the Federal Police investigated for real, when she didn’t archive,” said Lupi.
He recalled that the Federal Police opened investigations in 2016 and 2020 to investigate social security fraud, but both were filed.
The former minister assured that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva only became aware of the irregularities On the day of the operation triggered by the Federal Police (PF) and the Comptroller General of the Union (CGU) against unauthorized discounts for the benefits of INSS retirees and pensioners.
At CPMI, Lupi admitted that the Normative Instruction prepared by the INSS in 2024 to establish criteria for associative monthly discounts on social security benefits has not had the effect expected by the government.
“We have failed to have an energetic action of the INSS to curb.”
Lupi was Minister of Social Security between 2023 and 2025 and was in front of the folder when the scandal of discounts to pensions was discovered. He resigned from office in May this year after operation.
The former minister recalled that he was not denounced or quoted in the investigations.
“Missing is human and I may have been wrong several times, but bad faith I never had. Overproof deviations never did in my life. There may be someone who struggled both for the bets and I have no,” said Lupi.
Paying
At CPMI, Lupi also defended the revision of credit discounts consigned in the benefits of retirees and pensioners.
“It is important to go deep into this process of discounts that are done with retirees and pensioners for payroll loan. Now they ended up with the associative’s sheet discount, why not end also the payroll credit discounts?” He asked.
Suspension request
At the beginning of the meeting, Deputy Paulo Pimenta (PT-RS) called for the suspension of Senator Rogério Marinho (PL-RN), because he was a special secretary of Social Security during the government of Jair Bolsonaro. For Pimenta, Marinho would have access to confidential documents being a party interested in the object of the investigation.
The request was denied by Senator Carlos Viana (Somos-MG), who claimed that Rogério Marinho is not investigated by CPMI. Pimenta said he will resort to the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Deputies.
In previous meetings, CPMI has approved requirements to invite or call for clarification all former Social Security ministers and former INSS presidents since 2015, as well as all presidents of associative entities accused of deviations.
Also approved by Antonio Carlos Camilo Antunes, known as “Bald of the INSS”, and businessman Maurício Camisotti, pointed out by the Federal Police as possible operators of the INSS fraud scheme.
Irregularities
In April this year, the Federal Police (PF) and the Union Comptroller General (CGU) triggered the operation without a discount to combat an associative scheme not authorized in retirement and pensions.
The calculation is that investigated entities discounted retirees and pensioners about R $ 6.3 billion between 2019 and 2024.
More than 4 million beneficiaries said they had not authorized the debts on sheet.
According to the Federal Government, about 2 million retirees and pensioners have already joined the agreement on reimbursement of undue discounts from associations and entities.
