Brazilian Police: Bank Owner Contacted Ex-Central Bank Official Before Arrest
Listen to the story
New documents from Brazil's Federal Police reveal details about businessman Vorcaro's actions before his arrest.
According to the police, Vorcaro contacted a former director of Brazil's Central Bank, a man he described as his "angel in life." Vorcaro asked for this person's help to fight a proposed change to a pension fund, a fund that manages savings for people's retirement.
The Federal Police also indicate that Vorcaro was making preparations to flee the country before he was arrested. The documents do not give further details about how these preparations were discovered.
Separately, the police investigation uncovered information about a marketer who was searching for influencers to promote Master, a company linked to Vorcaro. Influencers are people who have large followings on social media and can shape public opinion.
This same marketer was also monitoring social media activity for Flávio Bolsonaro, a well-known Brazilian politician. The nature of this monitoring and its connection to the pro-Master campaign has not been fully explained in the report.
The revelations come from an ongoing Federal Police investigation, and more details are expected to emerge as the case develops.
Vocabulary11 words
- Federal Police
- the national police force in Brazil
- Central Bank
- the bank that manages money for an entire country
- pension fund
- a fund that saves money for people's retirement
- flee
- to escape or run away from danger
- marketer
- someone who works to promote a product, person, or idea
- influencers
- people with many online followers who affect opinions
- politician
- a person who holds or seeks a government position
- investigation
- an official process to find out facts about something
- monitoring
- watching something closely over time
- retirement
- the time when someone stops working, usually due to age
- revelations
- new facts that were not known before
Quiz
Answer key
1. Opposing a change to a pension fund 2. His plans to flee the country 3. True
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
New _____ from Brazil's Federal Police reveal details about businessman Vorcaro's actions before his arrest.
According to the police, Vorcaro contacted a former director of Brazil's Central Bank, a man he described as his "_____ in life."
Vorcaro asked for this person's help to fight a proposed change to a _____, a fund that manages savings for people's retirement.
The Federal Police also indicate that Vorcaro was making preparations to _____ the country before he was arrested.
The police investigation uncovered information about a marketer who was searching for _____ to promote Master, a company linked to Vorcaro.
This same marketer was also _____ social media activity for Flávio Bolsonaro, a well-known Brazilian politician.
The revelations come from an ongoing Federal Police _____, and more details are expected to emerge.
Discussion questions
- Why might someone try to fight a change to a pension fund?
- What could be the risks of a businessman fleeing a country before arrest?
- Why do companies sometimes look for influencers to support their public image?
- Why might a marketer monitor a politician's social media activity?