Geddel Vieira Lima (born 18 March 1959) is a Brazilian politician who served in the

Cabinet of Brazil The Cabinet of Brazil ( pt, Gabinete Ministerial do Brasil) is composed of the Ministers of State and senior advisors of the executive branch of the federal government of Brazil. Cabinet officers are appointed and dismissed by the President. There ...

under

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Michel Temer Michel Miguel Elias Temer Lulia (; born 23 September 1940) is a Brazilian politician, lawyer and writer who served as the 37th president of Brazil from 31 August 2016 to 31 December 2018. He took office after the impeachment and removal from off ...

until his resignation on 25 November 2016, amid accusations that he and the President had pressured

Minister of Culture A culture minister or a heritage minister is a common cabinet position in governments. The culture minister is typically responsible for cultural policy, which often includes arts policy (direct and indirect support to artists and arts organizati ...

Marcelo Calero Marcelo Calero Faria Garcia (born 7 July 1982) is a Brazilian diplomat and politician. He was Minister of Culture of the government Michel Temer Michel Miguel Elias Temer Lulia (; born 23 September 1940) is a Brazilian politician, lawyer and wr ...

to approve a real estate project to build a 30-floor apartment building in a historic district of Ladeira da Barra. Vieira Lima, who as Temer's Minister of Government acted as liaison between the executive and legislative branches, was implicated in Operation Cui Bono, an investigation into

Caixa Econômica Federal Caixa Econômica Federal (, ''Federal Savings Bank''), also referred to as Caixa, is a state-owned Brazilian financial services company headquartered in Brasília, Brazil. It is the fourth largest banking institution in Brazil, as well as t ...

, a state-owned bank of which he was vice-president in the

Dilma Rousseff Dilma Vana Rousseff (; born 14 December 1947) is a Brazilian economist and politician who served as the 36th president of Brazil, holding the position from 2011 until her impeachment and removal from office on 31 August 2016. She is the first w ...

government. He is accused along with former lower house president

Eduardo Cunha Eduardo Cosentino da Cunha (born 29 September 1958), is a Brazilian politician and radio host, born in Rio de Janeiro. He was President of the Chamber of Deputies of Brazil from February 2015 until May 5, 2016, when he was removed from the pos ...

of approving loans in return for kickbacks. He had previously served as minister of national integration under president

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist, and former metalworker who is the president-elect of Brazil. A member of the Workers' Party, ...

. On 3 July 2017, he was arrested on suspicion of obstruction of justice for allegedly trying to block plea bargain deals. He was the second official from the Temer government to be arrested in less than a month. He was the fourth to resign amid corruption allegations since Temer took office August 31, 2016. On 5 September 2017, the

Federal Police of Brazil The Federal Police of Brazil (Portuguese: ''Polícia Federal'') is a federal law enforcement agency of Brazil and one of the three national police forces. The other two are the Federal Highway Police, and the National Force. From 1944 to 1967 it ...

found R$51 millionapproximately

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

16.35 million at an exchange rate of 1 USD = 3.1203 BRL in an apartment in the Graça neighbourhood of

Salvador, Bahia Salvador (English: ''Savior'') is a Brazilian municipality and capital city of the state of Bahia. Situated in the Zona da Mata in the Northeast Region of Brazil, Salvador is recognized throughout the country and internationally for its cuisine ...

. The amount seems related to corruption, criminal organization and

money laundering Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdictions ...

. Packs of money were found stored in large luggage bags and cardboard boxes. This is the largest sum of money in cash ever seized by law enforcement in a single operation in Brazil. On October 22, 2019, the Supreme Court (STF) sentenced Vieira Lima to 14 years and ten months in prison and his brother, former Deputy , to 10 years and six months, also in closed regime.

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References

, - Living people 1959 births People from Salvador, Bahia Government ministers of Brazil Brazilian Democratic Movement politicians University of Brasília alumni {{Brazil-politician-stub