Brazilian CEO of Caixa, a close Bolsonaro ally, will leave amid harassment investigation, sources say

BRASILIA, June 29 (Reuters) – Pedro Guimaraes, chief executive of Brazilian public lender Caixa Economica Federal and a close ally of President Jair Bolsonaro, is expected to resign on Wednesday amid reports he is under investigation by the from federal prosecutors for sexual harassment. , said two sources familiar with the matter.

The Metropoles news site reported on Tuesday evening that the investigation in question was launched after a group of Caixa employees complained about alleged episodes of sexual harassment. Read more

Guimaraes is expected to be replaced by Daniella Marques, an economy ministry official, a separate source told Reuters.

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Guimaraes had been Caixa’s top executive since January 2019, when Bolsonaro took office. He had appeared several times in his weekly social media live streams, and power brokers in Brasilia had seen him as a potential running mate for Bolsonaro, who is up for re-election in October.

Guimaraes, who holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Rochester, had previously worked at investment bank BTG Pactual and lender Brasil Plural, where he was a partner.

His impending departure was first reported by news magazine Veja.

Neither Caixa nor Bolsonaro’s office immediately responded to requests for comment on Wednesday. It was not immediately possible to contact Guimaraes directly.

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Reporting by Ricardo Brito and Bernardo Caram in Brasilia Writing by Gabriel Araujo Editing by Matthew Lewis

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