The Federal Police (PF) and the Comptroller General of the Union (CGU) launched, this Monday (30), Operation Fair Play, with the aim of dismantling a criminal organization that diverted resources from the Sports Incentive Law (LIE).
In total, 13 search and seizure warrants issued by the 1st Criminal Court of the Federal Court in Belo Horizonte are being executed in companies and residences located in Belo Horizonte and São Paulo.
Around R$180 million in financial assets linked to suspects were blocked. It was also determined that the entities under investigation would not be authorized to participate in the execution of sports projects.
According to investigators, the criminal organization is led by a former employee dismissed from the Ministry of Sports. It would have enabled the misuse of funds from federal tax waivers.
The PF analyzes documents and information related to projects carried out between 2019 and 2022, by five non-profit entities. Four of them are based in Belo Horizonte and one in São Paulo.
“Between 2019 and 2023, associations obtained authorization to raise funds from companies and individuals, in projects encouraged based on the Sports Incentive Law, which total over R$190 million,” informed the PF.
The investigation obtained evidence that associations and companies with common partners or links had been created with the purpose of diverting resources, “circumventing the limit on the number of projects that can be presented by the same association”.
It was also discovered that hiring was directed towards service providers and suppliers linked to the directors of the investigated entities, in addition to the creation of companies in the name of employees, partners and directors of the associations, to issue invoices with a view to simulating the expenditure on the amounts collected through LIE.
“Thus, the group misappropriated part of the resources through these linked companies or intermediaries. In addition, financial movements were identified that point to the practice of money laundering”, informed the PF.
Those involved may face charges of embezzlement, criminal organization and money laundering.
