Justice Flávio Dino, of the Supreme Federal Court, ordered assets worth about six million reais, or roughly one and a fifth million dollars, blocked from former lower-house speaker Eduardo Cunha. The decision was signed on the sixth of July and disclosed on Sunday.
Federal Police allege that Cunha, who lost his congressional seat in 2016, kept steering federal money years later. According to the ruling, he acted as a “relevant vector” in directing funds even without holding office.
The case is part of Operation Transparência, a Federal Police inquiry into how earmarks flow inside the Chamber. Cunha is a resonant name in Brazil, having been jailed for more than three years in the sweeping Car Wash scandal before later seeing some convictions annulled.
One-stop referenceCompany IntelligenceEvery listed company in Latin America — financials, ownership and structure for 1,450+ companies across 26 exchanges, in one place.Browse the directory →Why Brazil parliamentary amendments matter to outsiders
Amendments, known locally as emendas parlamentares, are earmarks lawmakers attach to the federal budget to send money to their districts. They have grown into one of the least transparent channels in Brazilian public finance.
