Source: Jornal Nacional (Globo), 18/07/2005

After five days of temporary imprisonment, one of the Daslu store partners and a company supplier left the Federal Police headquarters in São Paulo at dawn on Monday.

Together with businesswoman Eliana Tranchesi, they are being investigated for suspected tax evasion and fraudulent imports.

The recent operations of the Federal Police and the latest reports of corruption brought together representatives of various entities at Fiesp's headquarters today.

“I came to this meeting not to defend tax evaders. I came to prevent the Federal Police from doing this show that we are seeing in Brazil today, ”said Paulo Pereira da Silva, president of Força Sindical.

After the meeting, held behind closed doors, a manifesto against corruption and against the excesses of the federal police was released.

? What we want is punishment from anyone. If it is corrupt, if proven, in the light of constitutional principles, it needs to be punished. To evade, you need to be punished too. Now, does everyone uphold constitutional principles ?, evaluated Luiz Flávio Borges D'urso, president of OAB-SP.

Since the beginning of the year, the federal police have carried out two major operations together with the IRS and the Public Ministry to combat evasion, piracy and smuggling. Crimes that cost Brazil about R $ 160 billion per year. One third of everything the country collects.

The President of the Institute of Ethics in Competition defends the operations of the Federal Police, but with reservations:

"You have to be careful to limit exaggerations that may happen but do not miss the chance to strengthen this type of operation, which is very positive at least for people who pay taxes in Brazil," said Emerson Kapaz, president of Instituto Etco.