Former INSS president Alessandro Stefanutto refused to answer questions from the rapporteur of the Joint Parliamentary Inquiry Committee (CPMI) that analyzes deviations in discounts for retirees and pensioners, deputy Alfredo Gaspar (União-AL), this Monday (13). 
The refusal generated an impasse and the meeting was suspended for discussions by the president of the collegiate, senator Carlos Viana (Podemos-MG) with the defense of the witness.
One habeas corpus granted by Federal Supreme Court (STF) minister Luiz Fux gave Stefanutto the right not to be forced to answer questions that could incriminate him. In the initial report, Stefanutto discussed his work in the direction of the municipality, listing the measures taken to resolve problems such as the queue for analyzing benefits and deviations related to associative discounts for retirees and pensioners.
“INSS employees are heroes, because they deliver a service that, as a rule, no one recognizes,” said the former INSS president, referring to the audit actions to investigate the discounts.
“In this administration, there is no point that they can talk about this. And if we are going to talk about the associative discount, I am ready to answer all questions, as long as they are not asked in a disrespectful way”, he concluded.
Next, the rapporteur began the questions, asking when the witness started working in the public service. Stefanutto refused to respond.
“I will answer all parliamentarians, except the rapporteur’s questions”, he stated. The question that the rapporteur is asking is a prior judgment that I will not answer, that is my judgment”, he added.
Gaspar said that refusal could lead to a request for arrest. “Shutting up a non-incriminating question constitutes the flagrant act of false testimony”, he argued.
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After a recess of a few minutes, work resumed, with the understanding that non-incriminating questions would be answered. Gaspar resumed the questions, with the same question.
Stefanutto responded by stating that the question was dubious, since he had already served in the military and served in other bodies.
“I entered the public service in 1992. At the Federal Revenue, I was a technician for a long time and worked for a while in the Superintendent’s office, I don’t remember the name, as it’s been a while. Then I took the test to become a local INSS attorney in 1999 and joined in 2000”, Stefanutto replied, detailing the positions he held.
Alessandro Stefanutto was dismissed from office in April, shortly after Operation Without Discount, by the Federal Police in conjunction with the Comptroller General of the Union, revealed fraud against retirees and pensioners. At this Monday’s meeting, the testimony of the organization’s former Benefits director André Paulo Félix Fidelis is also scheduled.
