Tag: Folha de São Paulo Seminar

Low budget gets stuck fighting smuggling, says Rodrigo Maia

Mayor opens Security and Development seminar: the importance
combating the illegal market

The President of the Chamber of Deputies, Rodrigo Maia (DEM-RJ), speaks at the opening of the seminar Security and Development: the importance of fighting the illegal market, in Brasília - Keiny Andrade / Folhapress
The President of the Chamber of Deputies, Rodrigo Maia (DEM-RJ), speaks at the opening of the seminar Security and Development: the importance of fighting the illegal market, in Brasília - Keiny Andrade / Folhapress

The decrease in the presence of the State and the creation of legally safe environments for investments were pointed out by Rodrigo Maia (DEM-RJ), president of the Chamber of Deputies, as measures for the country to move forward in several areas, including combating violence and smuggling. at borders.

According to Maia, it is necessary to discuss and reformulate the current legislation to change the scenario of a bureaucratic model that prevents the country's growth. “We are experiencing a great anomaly today regarding the laws, the Brazilian State and its enforcement. We should have a clear and agreed objective for these issues to be treated in a more transparent and more serious manner ”, he said.

The deputy's speech opened the seminar on Security and Development: the importance of combating the illegal market, carried out by Folha, sponsored by ETCO, this Tuesday morning (20), in Brasília.

The parliamentarian said that structural reforms are needed in all political spheres. "If we do not have the courage to face this system, year after year, we will have the advance of smuggling, counterfeiting and violence."

According to him, “some have the courage to face controversial issues and with rejection in society. Others prefer that time gives a solution to these problems ”. At various times, the president of the Chamber of Deputies stated that it was necessary to rethink the state's role in society.

For Maia, the public machine hinders and removes the interest of investors. “Often, in the middle of an investment process, the government tries to change rules to increase its collection. We need to guarantee this security so that the private sector can invest more in our country, ”he said.

 
REGULATORY AGENCIES

Maia also criticized the performance of Brazilian regulatory agencies. According to him, the appointment by political office undermines the efficiency of the entities. “There may be very good people there, but that is luck. There is no clear rule for having at the agency people who are really concerned with the topic they are dealing with. The nomination rules must be stricter so that we have people representing the Brazilian state, and not the government. ”

 
LACK OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET

The deputy said that the low budget harms the fight against organized crime and violence. As an example, he cited the two border control programs developed by the federal government: the dry areas, commanded by the Army, and the maritime borders, under the responsibility of the Navy, and which are delayed by the lack of management and investments.

“It is already known where the problem is, which border has the most problems, where the criminal factions are, how they command the crime from inside the prisons. But we are all immobilized, ”he said.

FINANCIAL CONTROLS

The modernization of financial control systems was mentioned as part of the solutions to deficits in several areas of Brazilian inspection.

"The inclusion of digital platforms will curb various illicit practices, from tax evasion to movements that finance organized crime," said Maia.

The mayor said that it is also necessary to pay attention to public spaces to prevent the spread of criminal practices.

"There is no degraded public space that illegality does not command and benefits from," he said.

Source: Folha de São Paulo (20/02/2018)

Communication between control bodies is essential to curb illegal trade

Expert explains the connection between smuggling associations in Latin America and terrorist organizations

The integration and reinforcement of communication between different organizations to combat smuggling and illegal trade, in Brazil and
in other countries, they are the main way to successfully curb the practice of these crimes, which, in some cases, are linked to terrorist actions abroad.

This was one of the conclusions of experts who debated the topic during the seminar on Security and Development, organized by Folha, sponsored by the ETCO Institute (Brazilian Institute of Competitive Ethics), this Tuesday (20th), at the theater of the Centro de Eventos Brasil 21, in Brasília. The debate was mediated by Folha journalist Fernando Canzian.

According to the deputy secretary of the Federal Revenue Service, Paulo Ricardo Cardoso, combating these highly organized crimes is an important step towards improving the business environment in the country and helping to ensure agility in the flow of foreign trade.
“Today the volume of seizures is growing. The more you learn, the more you have contraband. We get the impression that we are mopping the floor with the tap running ”, he said.

Paulo Ricardo Cardoso, deputy secretary of the Federal Revenue Service, Antonio Carlos de Sousa, director of intelligence at Coaf, Edson Vismona, president of the Etco Institute, and Emanuele Ottolenghi, senior member of FDD, during the seminar in Brasilia - Keiny Andrade / Folhapress
Paulo Ricardo Cardoso, deputy secretary of the Federal Revenue Service, Antonio Carlos de Sousa, director of intelligence at Coaf, Edson Vismona, president of the Etco Institute, and Emanuele Ottolenghi, senior member of FDD, during the seminar in Brasilia - Keiny Andrade / Folhapress

INTELLIGENCE ACTIONS

Despite praising the federal intervention in Rio de Janeiro, Cardoso said that it will not solve the problem of crime and that the only way to combat it is by promoting incentives for investigative intelligence actions and an increasing integration of national and international research institutions. combating smuggling.

“Weeks ago a large arms dealer in the USA was arrested, who sold to Brazil. We arrived at it through the integration of the Brazilian and American intelligence structures. This is what reinforces the fight against these crimes ”, he said.

For ETCO President Edson Vismona, strengthening the communication mechanisms and bringing information closer to the intelligence agencies is the most effective and least expensive way to stop smuggling. He defended the creation of a Latin American alliance against this type of crime and also a greater engagement of civil society, requesting and
supporting measures in the area. “Evil makes connections, unites, interacts, so we have to do the same. Otherwise, cities and citizens are the ones who suffer the consequences of these crimes, ”he said.

TERRORISM

Emanuele Ottolenghi, senior member of the FDD (Foundation for Defense of Democracies, institute for producing strategic knowledge on national security), commented on the link between smuggling organizations in Latin America and terrorist agencies.

He gave as an example an American criminal association that joined the Mafia in Calabria, Italy, to smuggle cocaine from Colombia into the European market. Among those arrested in the smuggling network, according to Ottolenghi, only one was not from the American criminal organization or the Italian mafia.

“There was a Lebanese, who lived more than a thousand kilometers from southern Italy. He was the man responsible for receiving, laundering the money and redistributing it to drug dealers in Colombia, ”he said.

“Why call on a foreigner, who was not part of either side of the business, to manage the most sensitive part of the transaction? The reason is that he worked for Hezbollah, a terrorist organization that has a global network capable of laundering money and handing it back to the criminal cartel, taking 20% ​​of the profit. ”

Also according to Ottolenghi, in Latin America, smuggling does not always exploit only the geographical weakness of national borders, but also the structural corruption of the people who control them, making payments to judges and authorities to facilitate the passage of the goods.

He stated that, in addition to financing terrorism, it is necessary to be concerned about smuggling because it is what allows criminal unions to operate within Latin American countries like Brazil and Paraguay, leading indirectly to the escalation of violence in the region.

DRY THE TAP

One of the main ways to curb smuggling and money laundering is to suppress the financial sources of these organizations, according to the director of intelligence at Coaf (Council for the Control of Financial Activities), Antonio Carlos de Sousa.

“You can only arrest the bandit, but he will get out of there rich. It is necessary to break down criminal associations economically, ”he said.

In the case of Brazil, Sousa defended the creation of a national strategy to combat money laundering and corruption, emphasizing the important role of the economic sector in the initiative.

One action that Sousa cited as fundamental was the obligation for banks to automatically communicate to Coaf more information on cash withdrawals made above R $ 100 thousand. In December 2017, this amount dropped to R $ 50 thousand.
"When you suppress that payment, these organizations will feel the blow," he said.

Source: Folha de São Paulo (20/03/2018)

 

It is impossible to control borders without technology, says Minister Etchegoyen

"It is impossible to control Brazilian borders without technology, which must also be done in partnership with neighboring countries, places of birth for most transnational crimes practiced within Brazil." The statements were made by the Chief Minister of the Institutional Security Office, Sergio Etchegoyen, during the seminar on Security and Development, promoted this Tuesday (20th) by Folha, sponsored by the ETCO Institute (Brazilian Institute of Ethical Competition), in the Center of Events and Conventions Brasil 21, in Brasília.

“It is absolutely impossible to control borders without technology. There is no chance that we will monitor such large areas, both land and sea, that have such intense traffic, in such remote regions, without technology ”, he said. According to the minister, work is being carried out to create an integrated system to monitor borders, in partnership with other countries.

Etchegoyen, in his speech, also spoke of the characteristics of cross-border and transnational crimes. “It is necessary to differentiate one from the other. Cross-border is a small crime, with a limited scope to its geographical area of ​​activity. The transnational corporation has structures on both sides of the border, it has national reach and even outside. And that is obviously the priority that has been established. ”

The minister also said that the different characteristics of the border are an obstacle, but that there are no discussions involving hatred and prejudice, as elsewhere in the world. “[Borders are] our wealth and our greatest challenge. There are 16.700 km of the most varied natures. At the same time, there are some competitive advantages. In no meter do we identify border tragedies that occur worldwide, with exclusion, hatred and prejudice. ”

Also according to the minister, transnational crimes are mostly born outside Brazil and, therefore, it is important to strengthen relations with neighboring countries. He said the government has been talking about the issue with all South American countries except Venezuela, because of the problems faced in the country of dictator Nicolás Maduro. “But the biggest sources of concern about transnational crimes are not there.

Source: Folha de São Paulo (20/03/2018)

 

Minister Nardes defends the creation of bilateral agreements to control the illegal entry of drugs and weapons

The Minister of TCU (Federal Court of Accounts) Augusto Nardes, the director general of the PRF (Federal Highway Police), Renato Dias, and the mediator and journalist of Folha Fernando Canzian, during the seminar sponsored by ETCO, in Brasilia - Keiny Andrade / Folhapress
Minister of TCU (Federal Audit Court) Augusto Nardes, director general of PRF (Federal Highway Police), Renato Dias, and Folha Fernando Canzian mediator and journalist, during the seminar sponsored by ETCO, in Brasilia - Keiny Andrade / Folhapress

“Anyone who can build a wall [at the border] does it, we are unable to build a wall of 24.000 kilometers, including the maritime region. So it has to be through dialogue, ”said Nardes, referring to the wall on the border between the United States and Mexico, which has been promoted by President Donald Trump.

The statement was made at the second debate table at the Security and Development seminar, held by Folha, sponsored by ETCO this Tuesday (20th), in Brasília. Nardes said he asked Foreign Minister Aloysio Nunes to be more proactive. “It is time for Itamaraty to take action and create agreements. There is no point in ruling at TCU and waiting. ”

The most urgent measures, according to Nardes, are the creation of policies to strengthen border areas, which have low population density and job offers, and the authorization for police persecutions to happen across borders between countries.

For the director general of the PRF (Federal Highway Police), Renato Dias, the creation of special groups of action in the border states, replicating what is being done today in Rio de Janeiro, would be a way to curb illegal trade .

For this to happen, Dias stated that he is negotiating the opening of 2.940 vacancies in public tenders in the next four years. In February, the Minister of Public Security, Raul Jungmann, authorized the opening of a competition for 500 vacancies for the Federal Highway Police.

The group in Rio, created in July 2017 to combat the entry of drug and arms smuggling into the state, and which will continue until the end of the year, has about 40 agents focused on this action.

The idea is that, in other states, groups are created with up to 150 agents who work exclusively in the inspection of border regions, similarly to what occurs in Rio, according to Dias.

INTERVENTIONS

For Nardes, if the Union does not control borders more efficiently, new federal interventions will have to be made in the public security of the states.

The TCU minister criticized the lack of organization of the security forces and policies for the sector, which facilitates the entry of illegal goods and people (who pretend to be refugees), generating an increase in crimes in the capitals.

“It is a bankruptcy in the state of Rio Janeiro that is all over Brazil. This happens due to the disorganization of the structures of the security forces ”, he said.

Source: Folha de São Paulo (20/03)

Tolerance of piracy and tax burden encourage smuggling, says senator

Ana Amélia defends the creation of new public policies to fight crime

 

The tolerance of Brazilians to trade in pirated products and the excessive tax burden on goods of legal origin in Brazil are some of the causes behind the increase in smuggling in the country, according to Senator Ana Amélia (PP-RS).

In the case of piracy, the senator - who spoke during the seminar on Security and Development, organized by Folha, sponsored by ETCO (Brazilian Institute of Competition Ethics) - gave as an example the clandestine pay-TV service, also known as “gatonet” . Ana Amélia defined the practice as a misappropriation of a resource that belongs to companies. The senator is the rapporteur of a bill that imposes a fine on anyone who uses a pirated cable TV set-top box. "You can't outsource ethics, ask that only members of Congress be ethical, and continue to buy pirated products or do illegal things under the hood," he said. Another reason that contributes to the growth of the illegal market in the country, according to her, is the excess of regulation and taxes that fall on products legally traded in the country. She cited as examples pesticides and agricultural machinery that, even produced in Brazil, are sold at lower prices in neighboring countries. According to the senator, there is also a lack of resources, both financial and technological, for a more adequate defense of national borders. There would be a positive cost-benefit for the economy of greater investment in the area, since smuggling is an increasingly damaging factor for trade in the country, according to her. Ana Amélia, who is co-author of a project that raises the penalty for the crime of smuggling with Senator Raimundo Lira (PMDB-PB), defended the creation of new public policies to fight crime and also a new vision of public administration in relation to the losses caused by the high tax burden.

“We have to face this, at the risk of seeing more and more what is happening today in Rio de Janeiro [the state is undergoing federal intervention to curb violence]. If you join the dots, you get to the same source of the problem: lack of resources and understanding between institutions, ”he said.

Source: Folha de São Paulo (20/03/2018)

 

“A missile at the heart of citizenship”

Photo: Letícia Moreira
From left to right: Roberto Teixeira, Evandro Guimarães, Ives Gandra Martins (Photo: Letícia Moreira)

Folha de S.Paulo promoted on the 18th and 19th of March the seminar “Forum o Contrabando no País”. The event brought together experts from different sectors, outlining the impact of smuggling on the Brazilian economy.

ETCO's Executive President, Evandro Guimarães, participated in one of the panel discussions, alongside jurist Ives Gandra Martins and former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM) Roberto Teixeira da Costa. For the President of the Institute, it is necessary to move from speech to action. “ETCO is uncomfortable with this paralysis and with the mechanisms that internalize products without following the proper regulatory paths. Smuggling diverts resources that could be used in health and education and discourages entrepreneurship. It is a missile at the heart of citizenship ”, says Guimarães.

The opinion was reinforced by Martins, who established a link between the illegal practice and the high tax burden in the country. "The higher the taxes, the more smuggling and embezzlement are encouraged." For him, the solution involves inspection at points of sale. “The extension of our borders makes stricter control impossible. The most feasible thing is to control the consumption tip. ”

The ex-president of the CVM pointed out that the Brazilian, for cultural reasons, is lenient with the illegal trade, and that it is also necessary to invest in educational campaigns. "We need to show in a clear way what the losses caused by smuggling are," he concluded.

For the executive president of the National Forum to Combat Piracy, Edson Vismona, the Brazilian legal market needs to be defended. He is in favor of a stricter inspection policy in order to inhibit the marketing of counterfeit and smuggled products.

The seminar also included the participation of representatives of the Executive and Legislative branches, such as the Minister of Justice, José Eduardo Cardoso, Senator José Serra and Federal Deputy Efraim de Araújo Morais Filho.

Folha de S.Paulo published a special notebook on the subject on March 12 (http://arte.folha.uol.com.br/mercado/2015/03/12/crime-sem-castigo/) and another on the seminar, published on 23/03.

ETCO participates in Folha de S. Paulo Forum on smuggling

The president of ETCO - Brazilian Institute of Ethics in Competition, Evandro Guimarães, was one of the speakers at the forum Smuggling in Brazil, carried out by the newspaper Folha de S. Paul on March 18th and 19th. In a panel with lawyer Ives Gandra Martins and former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission Roberto Teixeira da Costa, the president of ETCO spoke about the damage caused by smuggling and the need for more effective measures to combat it. "We are tired of seeing the problem managed with words," said Guimarães.

He cited the various damages that smuggling causes to the country, such as unfair competition with companies that fulfill their obligations, the loss of tax collection, the corruption of public agents and the health risks of the population. "From 30% to 40% of disposable syringes arrive in the country illegally," he said. "Toys are sold without undergoing inspection by the organs that protect the safety of children."

The ETCO president recalled that smuggling fuels organized crime. "It is a public security problem," he said. In some segments, according to him, the high tax burden ends up making illegal trade more profitable than drug trafficking, but with lower penalties, which ends up making it even more difficult to fight it. Guimarães also complained about the Brazilian government's “lenient stance” in relation to Paraguayan smuggling, which supplies much of Brazil's consumer markets.

ETCO was one of the sponsors of the forum held by Folha de S. Paul. The summary of the debates is available at event website and the report on the panel with the participation of Evandro Guimarães can be accessed here