The Public Ministry of Maranhão (MP-MA) denounced the mayor of Turilândia, José Paulo Dantas Silva Neto, known as Paulo Curió; his wife, Eva Maria Cutrim Dantas, Eva Curió; the vice-mayor, Tânya Karla and the former vice-mayor of Turilândia Janaína Soares Lima for the resource diversion scheme that caused damage of more than R$56 million to the coffers of the municipality of Maranhão.
In total, 10 people were reported. In addition to Paulo Curió, appointed as head of the criminal organization, his wife, the vice-mayor and former vice-mayor, Domingos Sávio Fonseca Silva (father of Paulo Curió), Marcel Everton Dantas Filho, Taily de Jesus Everton Silva Amorim (brothers of the mayor), José Paulo Dantas Filho (uncle of Paulo Curió), Ritalice Souza Abreu Dantas and Jander Silvério Amorim Pereira (brothers-in-law of the mayor) were also accused.
Signed by the Attorney General of Justice, Danilo José de Castro Ferreira, the complaint was filed yesterday (19) and sent to the office of judge Maria da Graça Peres Soares Amorim, rapporteur of the case at the 3rd Criminal Chamber of the Maranhão Court of Justice (TJMA), who will decide whether the criminal action will be accepted.
The scheme that caused damage to the coffers of Turilândia, in Baixada Maranhense, occurred through the “sale” of invoices by companies that won simulated bids. The MP estimated the damage at R$56,328,937.59. The amount was raised from contracts signed fraudulently since 2021.
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The mayor and people close to him received 82% to 90% of the amounts paid by Turilândia City Hall. The difference was with the businesspeople who provided the fraudulent invoices.
“Within the political core, the participation of the mayor’s immediate family proved to be a central element for the stability, internal cohesion and asset shielding of the criminal organization, functioning as a true circle of trust intended for the concealment, dissimulation and enjoyment of illicit values”, says the complaint.
Based on the investigations, the MP calls for the conviction of those accused of crimes such as criminal organization, embezzlement, fraud in bidding procedures, passive corruption and money laundering. Furthermore, the complaint requests full reimbursement of the misappropriated amount, monetarily adjusted and plus legal interest.
It was also requested the decree of the loss of all assets, rights and values “that constitute a product, profit or instrument of the crimes committed, even if registered in the name of interposed natural or legal persons” in favor of the State and, in case of conviction, the loss of position, public function, job or elective mandate when characterized as abuse of power or the use of the position to commit crimes.
Paulo Curió, Eva Curió, Janaina Soares Lima, her husband, Marlon de Jesus Arouche Serrão and the city hall accountant, Wandson Jhonathan Barros are preventively detained at the Pedrinhas Penitentiary Complex, in São Luís. prison was maintained by the courts.
The members of the organization were arrested by Operation Tântalo II, launched on December 22 by the Special Group to Combat Criminal Organizations (Gaeco) of the MPMA.
The expectation is that the MP will present a complaint in the coming days against the other members of the scheme, including the 11 councilors who are under house arrest and civil servants suspected of participating in the scheme.
“It is requested that it be expressly stated that this Complaint is restricted to members of the political and family nucleus of the criminal organization, and that other public and private agents, already identified in the records, will be the subject of autonomous complaints, relating to different nuclei (business, administrative-operational and legislative), as a measure of procedural rationalization and adequate individualization of conduct, without any prejudice to the factual unity of the criminal scheme”, concludes the complaint.
