INSS: Government could have used fireworks, but decided to dismantle a gang created in 2019, says Lula

President Lula (PT) stated this Saturday 8 that the Federal Police and the Office of the Comptroller General of the Union conducted “with great intelligence and without any fuss” the investigation into fraud in the deduction of money from INSS retirees and pensioners. The government, according to the PT member, acted to “dismantle a gang created in 2019”.

The statements were made at the end of Lula's trip to Russia, where he participated, on Friday 9, in the ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory Day over the Nazis. He then left for China, where he will meet with President Xi Jinping .

“We decided to dismantle a gang created in 2019, and you know who governed Brazil, who was the Minister of Social Security, who was the Chief of Staff,” said Lula, in reference to the administration of Jair Bolsonaro (PL). “We could have done some fireworks, but we don’t want a newspaper headline. We want to investigate.”

According to the president, there are serious entities that have not committed irregularities, but other associations “were created to commit crimes”.

“I’m in no hurry. What I want is for us to be able to investigate so that we can present the truth and only the truth to the Brazilian people,” he continued. “If we had held a carnival a year ago, it would probably have stopped at carnival, as happens with all the accusations.”

Lula also stated that no victim will be harmed and that there will be punishment for those who “one day dared to exploit retirees and pensioners.”

The National Institute of Social Security, the INSS, announced that it will begin on May 26 to refund approximately 292.7 million reais to retirees and pensioners harmed by unauthorized discounts on membership fees.

All retirees and pensioners who suffered discounts in April, regardless of whether they were authorized or not, will receive the amounts back by June 6, with their benefits.

This amount only applies to monthly payments made between the end of April and the beginning of May.

Furthermore, starting next week, the INSS will notify all people who have had discounts on benefits for the payment of membership fees.

With this, beneficiaries must say whether or not they authorized the discounts in order to, if applicable, start the reimbursement process. Notifications will occur exclusively through the Meu INSS app, starting on Tuesday the 13th . Starting Wednesday, also via the app or by calling 135, retirees and pensioners must inform whether or not they approved the discounts.

The Meu INSS app is available for free download for Android or iOS devices (such as iPhone cell phones).