The pair paid bail in the amount of R$15,000 each

The Federal Police (PF) arrested two pastors in Manaus in the act on Saturday morning (26) for allegedly buying votes, according to the institution’s communications department. They may be held liable for the crime of electoral corruption (art. 299 of the Electoral Code), with a sentence of up to four years in prison. The pair paid bail in the amount of R$15,000 each and will be released.

The federal government’s action occurred after reporting a call for a meeting in the church in the north of the capital of Manaus, restricted to those who vote in the city. With them, the agents found several envelopes with R$200 which, together, amounted to R$21,600. There was also a list with signatures of 50 people. Estadão seeks contact with the defense of the accused. The space is open for manifestation.

In a statement to the PF, the pastors claimed that the money was an offer received on Friday, the 25th, worth a total of R$38,000 from a man called “Eliezer”, allegedly linked to the current mayor of the capital, David Almeida (Avante), candidate for re-election. Estadão tries to contact the politician and his campaign.

Flaviano Paes Negreiros, one of the prisoners, told the feds “that the amount would be distributed among pastors and workers to help them with expenses related to the church convention, scheduled for the following week”, says an excerpt from the statement obtained by Estadão. Negreiros denied that he had bought votes for Almeida.

“He claimed that many pastors and workers face financial difficulties and need support to cover transportation and other needs, especially due to the convention. Flaviano confirmed the authenticity of the call message shared in the church group, justifying that the expression ‘vote for Manaus’ was used to restrict the call to pastors living in the capital, avoiding the participation of leaders from the interior, for whom it would not make sense to travel just to receive R$200?, says another excerpt from the statement.

Negreiros also said that it was a mistake to carry out the distribution on the eve of the second round. “He claimed that the church is not in the habit of receiving or distributing money in this way and that, from his perspective, there was no intention of asking for votes,” the feds recorded. The pastor stated that each member of the church is free to vote for whoever they want.

Werter Monteiro Oliveira, another pastor who would be involved in the case, according to the PF, stated that “the money would be used to cover transportation and food for the participants, given that the convention would last two days, including Saturday and Sunday. He acknowledged that the distribution of the money was organized quickly and that the decision to divide the amount between the pastors occurred after an internal discussion, in which they chose not to keep the amount just for themselves”.

The pastors’ cell phones were seized for forensic examination. The feds will try to identify the donor, “who, according to the statements, works in Davi (sic) Almeida’s campaign”, says an excerpt from the PF document.