Brazil’s Federal Public Ministry responded to a statement from the nation’s aquatic sports federation, calling it “false” and a “distortion of facts.”
The disagreement involves allegations of fraud, embezzlement and financial corruption within the CBDA, the federation that governs swimming and all other aquatic sports within Brazil. President Coaracy Nunes, who has been in office since 1988, was removed after the allegations surfaced, though he has attributed them to a politicized attack on him prior to next year’s election. Three other officials were also removed from the CBDA.
In response, the CBDA released a statement criticizing the investigation, which was carried out by Brazil’s Federal Public Ministry (MPF), a body of public prosecutors. The CBDA claims it wasn’t given a chance to explain the alleged financial irregularities during the investigation, and said the suspension of the four officials would force the federation to suspend all of its salary payments and suspend the sanctioning of its upcoming national championship events. The CBDA also argued that it was unfair to punish all of the sports it governs over the allegations.
The Federal Public Ministry fired back, though, according to BestSwim.br, blasting the CBDA response in a clarification statement of its own. The MPF statement called the CBDA argument “an attempt to distort the facts” (in a rough translation of the Portuguese). The MPF also said the argument that the CBDA wasn’t allowed to respond to the fraud allegations was “false information,” citing the request filed by the CBDA to dismiss the case. That request was denied by a federal court.
The same day, BestSwim.br reported that the CBDA officially confirmed that it would be running three major national championship events over the next two months. More on that here.