Brazil reveals political guru’s link to Dominican Republic leader: O Globo

Santo Domingo.- Joao Santana hid from Brazilian taxauthorities his business Polis Caribe Comunicacion y Marketing that he createdin Dominican Republic to work as a strategist for president Danilo Medina and theruling party, PLD, O Globo reports.

Santana, an electoral campaign adviser omitted from his 2010to 2014 tax returns his stake in five businesses created outside Brazil,including Shellbill Finance SA, an offshore used to receive US$7.5 million fromthe company Odebrecht and to Zwi Skórnicki, linked to the State-owned oil conglomerate, Petrobras.

The discovery was included in the federal casefile used by investigatorsin the Operation Lava Jato that broke this week.

O Globo reports new details of the scandal, which increasinglyimplicate Santana and associates to the corruption case.

In addition to the Dominican Republic, Santana had admittedowning companies in San Salvador, Panama and Argentina, countries where he hadworked in electoral campaigns.

Santana’s defense claim that all moneys he received fromabroad are for services provided in those countries, but didn’t mention theomission of Shellbill Finance SA, in the financial statement filed by the also advisertp Brazils ruling Workers Party.