The Sao Paulo Police reported this Monday that it is investigating the company Instituto Conhecer Brasil, linked to the production of the film “Dark Horse” which is about the life of former president Jair Bolsonaro, for a public contract for the installation of wifi points in the city that may not have been fulfilled.
The contract initially planned for 108 million reais (about 19.130 billion Chilean pesos) could have been fraudulently awarded by the Sao Paulo Prefecture, since with the cost overruns it reached 157.1 million reais (more than $27.809 billion)
Up to 26 million reais (more than $4.605 billion) were paid without any service being provided, so there could be fraud in the bidding, in the execution of the contract and possible embezzlement of public funds, according to the Brazilian press.
Several searches with judicial warrants have been carried out in several addresses linked to the concessionaire entity and the production company Go UP Entertainment, the home of Karina Ferreira da Gama – owner of Instituto Conhecer Brasil – and at the Municipal Secretariat of Innovation and Technology of Sao Paulo.
The contract included the installation, operation and maintenance of 5,000 public wifi points in peripheral areas of Sao Paulo as part of the WiFi Livre SP program.
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The ICB almost single-handedly submitted to the tender and after the award the Municipal Court of Accounts detected 20 irregularities, but the Secretariat maintained the contract.
Finally, only 3,200 of the 5,000 contracted points were installed, despite the three extensions agreed for the fulfillment of the contract.
Regarding the relationship with Bolsonaro’s film, the Police point to a “patrimonial confusion” between the ICB and the production company, with the use of accounts of companies and social organizations to launder these funds.
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