Messages obtained by Brazil's Federal Police from the phone of lobbyist Roberta Luchsinger show that Marco Aurélio Santana Ribeiro, known as Marcola, a former chief of staff at the Brazilian Presidency under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, received demands from her and kept her updated on meetings with federal government officials.
CNN Brasil anchor Débora Bergamasco, speaking on the program CNN Agora, said the relationship between the former aide and the lobbyist goes beyond friendship.
According to the investigation, Roberta Luchsinger asked Marcola for help arranging meetings with authorities and, possibly, contracts. The Federal Police is examining whether the former aide acted improperly to benefit the lobbyist, exceeding the typical duties of a Presidential chief of staff.
Marcola's defense says he has not yet had access to the investigation files, that he never brokered any negotiations, and that all the amounts involved relate to a personal loan that has since been repaid.
What the Messages Show
In the conversations reviewed by the Federal Police, Roberta Luchsinger sent Marcola a list of demands, including an item on cannabidiol regulation involving Swerdenberger Barbosa, known as Berger, then the executive secretary of the Ministry of Health.
Marcola reportedly told her he had already held a meeting with Berger. A draft Ministry of Health contract also appeared in the exchanges between the two.
In another conversation, the lobbyist told Marcola she was struggling to secure a meeting with Magda Chambriard of the state oil company Petrobras, saying that Chambriard had not received them and that the matter would collapse without progress.
'Not What the Messages Show,' Analyst Says
Bergamasco said Marcola's initial account, that Roberta Luchsinger was simply a friend who had lent him money during a period of financial difficulty, does not hold up against the content of the messages.
She said that is not what the messages show. According to her, Marcola has said he met Roberta Luchsinger through Fábio Luís Lula da Silva, the president's son known as Lulinha, and that the relationship began as a friendship. The records, however, point to negotiations, lists of demands and discussions about meetings with government officials.
Conflict of Interest at Center of Investigation
Bergamasco also explained that the duties of a Presidential chief of staff are essentially limited to organizing the president's schedule.
Brokering meetings between businesspeople and the Ministry of Health's executive secretary, or arranging contacts with Petrobras, falls entirely outside that role, she said, adding that it is absolutely beyond the scope of the work of the president's chief of staff.
The Federal Police investigation is seeking to determine whether Marcola's privileged position was used improperly to favor the lobbyist's interests. Investigators continue to examine whether financial advantages were involved in the relationship between the two.
