The name on the paperwork, but never in the room
Vanderlei Magalhães Natividade's name appears in the official documents of Instituto Conhecer Brasil (ICB) as treasurer. In practice, according to his own defense, he never held the position — he never even came near the organization's accounts.
An electrician by trade, Vanderlei claims he only provided his personal data to make the creation of the entity possible, about 12 years ago. The request, he says, came from a relative: Karina da Gama, a businesswoman who is responsible for the NGO and who is his cousin.
"Lending his data" to help his cousin
The version presented by the electrician's lawyers is straightforward: he would have cooperated in good faith at the time of the institute's founding, without any subsequent involvement in financial management.
- Vanderlei allegedly had no access to accounts, statements or transactions;
- He allegedly did not participate in deliberative meetings or sign financial documents;
- The treasurer position would exist only on paper, as a bureaucratic formality for the entity's registration.
Contacted, the defense maintains that the electrician was unaware of the dimension the institute would reach in the following years.
An NGO with million-dollar figures
Instituto Conhecer Brasil gained notoriety for the figures it carries. The organization moved R$ 83 million and maintains a contract worth R$ 108 million with the City of São Paulo.
It is precisely this volume of public funds that puts the entity's governance structure under scrutiny. After all, whoever signs as treasurer of an organization of this size should, in theory, have control over every penny that comes in and goes out.
In Vanderlei's case, the answer is categorical: according to him, there was never such control.
What is at stake
The episode raises a question that goes beyond the name of a single professional: how does an entity that manages million-dollar contracts with the public authorities keep on its staff someone who claims never to have exercised the role he formally holds?
The question is of interest to oversight bodies, the Public Prosecutor's Office and, above all, to the São Paulo taxpayer, who funded part of these operations.
Meanwhile, Vanderlei Magalhães Natividade's lawyers insist that their client is just a name on a list — an electrician who, more than a decade ago, said "yes" to a family request and never looked back.
What is known so far
- Vanderlei Magalhães Natividade officially appears as treasurer of ICB;
- He claims to have only provided the data, without exercising the role;
- The request allegedly came from Karina da Gama, his cousin;
- The institute moved R$ 83 million;
- There is a contract worth R$ 108 million with the City of São Paulo.
The electrician's defense denies any participation in the NGO's financial decisions and states that he never had access to the entity's accounts.