Abstract
The issue of corruption has occupied a central place in Brazilian public life in recent decades. In 2016, yet another president of the republic was impeached on suspicions and charges of corruption. The problem of corruption seems to have become part of Brazilians’ daily lives, causing a feeling of revolt in the society, strengthening anti-corruption policies and modifying the political landscape, in particular by the last presidential elections, with the victory of Jair Bolsonaro. How politics and business are linked in Brazil was exposed in recent scandals, especially by Mensalão and Operação Lava Jato (Operation Car Wash), which was its modus operandi. Through informal relationship between politicians and businessmen, which in parts served to finance political parties and electoral campaigns, private enterprises gain a privileged position to have influence in the political sphere.
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Notes
- 1.
On 2 December 2015 began the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, former president of Brazil, with a petition accepted by the Chamber of Deputies and continued into late 2016. Dilma Rousseff was in the 12th month of her second term. The reason for the impeachment was a charge on criminal administrative misconduct and disregard for the federal budget in terms of article 85 of the Brazilian Constitution and the Fiscal Responsibility Law. On May 1992 began an investigation on the accused former Brazilian president Fernando Collor de Mello about his involvement in an extensive corruption scheme operated by Paulo César Farias, his former campaign manager. On August 1992, the commission of inquiry confirmed the accusations and on 29 September 1992, the Chambers of Deputies voted (441 in favor and 38 against) to suspend the president powers.
- 2.
The Mensalão scandal was uncovered in 2005, during the presidency of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The name Mensalão is called in English as “big monthly payment”. The scandal was uncovered through a whistleblower, who noticed that the Worker Party (PT) paid monthly bribes to a large number of deputies (approx. USD 12,000) to make them vote for legislations that were in favour of the running coalition (Michener & Pereira, 2016).
- 3.
Operação Lava Jato, started in March 2014 and has uncovered a large-established scheme of corruption, bribery, fraud in contracts of Petrobras with construction companies, money laundering and cartel building, involving the Brazilian state-controlled oil company Petrobras (Almeida & Zagaris, 2015).
- 4.
The form of financing through legal entities was not the only form of electoral financing until 2015. Donations from individuals and the candidates' own investment were allowed by law. In addition to private resources, national elections are also financed from public resources through the Special Fund for Financial Assistance to Political Parties. However, after the corruption scandals triggered in recent years by Operation Car Wash, which began in March 2014, a new law for electoral financing, Law No. 13,165 of 2015, was passed, bringing significant changes to the financing model in effect until then in Brazil. The main one is the prohibition of electoral contributions made by legal entities.
- 5.
Criminal trial 5021365-32.2017.404.7000.
- 6.
All documents analyzed in this article are available online for public access at the website of the Federal Justice of Paraná: https://www.jfpr.jus.br/.
- 7.
MAXQDA is a software program designed for computer-assisted qualitative and mixed methods data, text and multimedia analysis in academic, scientific, and business institutions. The program is used mostly in qualitative research to categorize and analyze larger numbers of interviews, texts as well as audios and videos files.
- 8.
http://www.mpf.mp.br/grandes-casos/lava-jato, accessed on 16.11.2020.
- 9.
Petrobras (Petróleo Brasileiro S.A.) is a Brazilian state-owned Brazilian petroleum industry, with headquartered is in Rio de Janeiro. Petrobras, before the corruption scandal has been revealed, was ranked under the largest public company in the world.
- 10.
Operation Alethéia began on 4 March 2016 and constituted on the 24th Phase of the Operation Car Wash. Among all targeted were the Brazilian former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, his relatives and any friends. The coercive conduct of Lula drawn the attention of the international press.
- 11.
Braskem is a Brazilian enterprise headquartered in São Paulo and the largest petrochemical company in Latin America. Its Ownership Structure is formed from Odebrecht 50,1% (voting capital), Petrobras 47,0% (voting capital) and others 2,9% (voting capital). For more information see: http://www.braskem-ri.com.br/profile-and-history, accessed on 21.01.2021.
- 12.
Marisa Leticia was the wife of former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the defendant in two criminal actions for passive corruption and money laundering in 2016 at Operation Car Wash. She died on February 3, 2017, victim of a stroke.
- 13.
Law nº 9.478, August, 6, 1997 regulates the petroleum industry in Brazil. “Deals with the national energy policy, activities related to the oil and gas monopoly, creates the National Council for the Energy Policy and the National Petroleum Agency and makes other provisions”. Available: http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/l9478.htm, and https://www.ariae.org/sites/default/files/2017-05/cartilha_lei_9478_ingles.pdf. Accessed on 22.01.2021.
- 14.
Except Marisa Leticia Lula da Silva, former president Lula’s wife, only men were involved in this case.
- 15.
The authoritarian military dictatorship was ruled from 1th April 1964 to 15 March 1985. It began with a coup d'état led by the Armed Forces against the government of João Goulart.
- 16.
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Valarini, E. (2021). ‘Culture’, Criminality and Collective Mindset: Political Financing in Brazil. In: Valarini, E., Pohlmann, M., Mitra, S. (eds) Political Corruption and Organizational Crime. Organization, Management and Crime - Organisation, Management und Kriminalität. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-34374-3_5
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