Who is Roberto Ferreira Dias, arrested during Brazil’s Covid CPI session?

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL –  The Covid CPI (Parliamentary Inquiry Commission) on Wednesday, July 7, heard testimony from the Ministry of Health’s former director of Logistics, Roberto Ferreira Dias. According to Senator Omar Aziz (PSD-AM), he was arrested for committing “perjury” by denying that he had arranged a meeting with state police officer Luiz Paulo Dominghetti.

Dias had been sponsored for his position in the Ministry by the Centrão voting bloc in Congress, and was dismissed from the post on June 29, after allegations that he had asked for a US$1 kickback per vaccine dose to authorize the purchase of the AstraZeneca immunizer by the federal government. He denies the accusation.

The suspicions of corruption against Ferreira Dias stem from a complaint made to the committee by state police officer Luiz Paulo Dominghetti, who presents himself as a representative of Davati Medical Supply’s company. In testimony to the Covid CPI last week, he confirmed having received a request for a kickback for the purchase of 400 million vaccine doses.

The summons were ordered by senators Humberto Costa (PT-PE) and Otto Alencar (PSD-BA). In the petitions, the legislators also seek to clarify Ferreira Dias’ alleged involvement in irregularities in purchasing another vaccine, Indian Covaxin.

Responsible for signing the Ministry’s main contracts, he is accused of pressuring Ministry of Health officials to expedite the import of the immunizer, despite evidence of irregularities in the contract.

According to Costa, Ferreira Dias signed a “multi-billion contract” to purchase the vaccine, which is under investigation by the CPI.

Dismissal after Luis Miranda’s testimony

Ferreira Dias’ dismissal from the Ministry of Health came four days after deputy Luis Miranda (DEM-DF) and his brother, Luis Ricardo Fernandes Miranda, head of imports at the Ministry of Health’s Logistics Department, testified to a corruption scheme. The two said there was a corruption scheme surrounding the purchase of Covaxin and cited the then director, pointing to pressure to expedite the purchase of Covaxin.

Ferreira Dias held a key position at the Ministry of Health and was hand picked by ex-deputy Abelardo Lupion (DEM-PR) during the administration of ex-Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta of the same party. But it is said to have been the current government leader in the Chamber, Ricardo Barros (Progressistas-PR), who had recommended him. Barros denies having endorsed the fired director.

Before reaching the Ministry of Health, Ferreira Dias was a Paraná government employee during the administration of Cida Borghetti (Progressistas), Barros’ wife. The 41-year-old former inspector was director-general of the state’s Secretariat of Infrastructure and Logistics (SEIL).

Bolsonaro backed out of appointing Roberto Dias to ANVISA

Last year, he was almost appointed a director of the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA). President Jair Bolsonaro himself backed out of the nomination in October after Estadão newspaper reported that the director had signed a R$133.2 (US$25.5) million contract at the Ministry of Health, with evidence of irregularities to buy 10 million kits used in Covid-19 testing.

On August 21, 2020, Ferreira Dias signed contract 250/2020 with Life Technologies Brasil Comércio e Indústria de Produtos para Biotecnologia Ltda, for the purchase of kits. The suspected irregularity in the contract was reported to the Federal Audit Court (TCU) by the Integrity Directorate of the Ministry of Health itself.

At the time, Roberto Dias told the report that he himself suggested, on September 18, the annulment of the contract due to identified “defects.”

In February this year, Roberto Dias was one of the signatories to the contract made by Brazil’s Ministry of Health to purchase 10 million doses of the Sputnik-V vaccine for R$693.6 million. The deal with Sputnik was closed through União Química even before ANVISA released the vaccine for use in Brazil.

In the absence of the regulatory agency’s authorization, Congress approved early that month a Provisional Measure to facilitate the purchase of the Russian vaccine doses. This is because the Chamber of Deputies included an article in the Provisional Measure that granted exceptional authorization to purchase vaccines approved by health agencies in Russia, Argentina, and South Korea, where Sputnik-V is applied.

The approval of the Provisional Measure was coordinated by the current leader of the government, who threatened to accuse ANVISA of improperly creating restrictions on the importation of Sputnik.

The approval for the vaccine’s use was only granted by the agency, in an “exceptional” and “temporary” way, on June 4. The first Sputnik-V doses should reach Brazil in July.