The Public Ministry of Rio Grande do Sul (MPRS), through the 8th Public Prosecutor's Office for the Defense of Public Property in Porto Alegre, denounced 10 people on Tuesday, September 22, including a city councilor and a parliamentary assistant, leaders of civil society organizations (OSCs), lawyers, and family members, for the crimes of criminal association and embezzlement, the latter executed nine times. On the last Friday, September 18, the MPRS launched theCinesia Operationto execute four preventive arrest warrants and nine search and seizure warrants in the Capital and in Imbé, targeting members of the accused group.
The coordination of the operation and the indictment are by Public Prosecutor Roberta Brenner de Moraes. According to her, the joint action of the group occurred between May 2023 and September 2026 and involved the statutory transformation of a cultural entity to enable its activity in the health sector and the granting of municipal public utility. Starting from the allocation of earmarked parliamentary amendments and the formalization of funding terms, public funds were withdrawn from accounts linked to projects and transferred to central bank accounts and partner companies, being dispersed into personal and legal accounts linked to the accused.
DAMAGE REIMBURSEMENT
In total, the affiliated entity received R$ 3.1 million from the Municipal Health Fund of Porto Alegre (FMSPA), resulting in a proven loss of at least R$ 2.25 million to the public coffers. In the complaint, the MPRS requests the condemnation of the accused and the setting of a minimum value of R$ 2.2 million for compensation to the Municipality, also highlighting that the members of the scheme attempted to artificially restore the accounts with private contributions exceeding R$ 1 million to simulate regularity and mislead the authorities.
