Journalist is assaulted by former secretary of Treasury from Januária´s city hall in Minas Gerais state

The journalist Fábio Oliva, editor of the newspaper Folha do Norte, from Januária city in Minas Gerais (MG) state, was assaulted the last 21st of October at Montes Claros´airport (MG). According to Oliva, the former secretary of the Treasury from Januária´s city hall Fabrício Viana has sworn the journalist, punched and kicked him. Viana has been denounced by Oliva for fraud in a bidding process.

The journalist was walking toward the airport´s taxis stop, when Viana came to him from his back and called Oliva by his name. "When I turned around, it was Viana. He said me some bad words, punched and kicked me”, tells Oliva.

Afterwards, the two of them would´ve fought against each other, until an airport´s guard took them apart. “I asked to the guard to hold him, that I was calling the police. He [Viana] got rid of the guard, ran and fled away in a car”, says Oliva.

Viana was in jail for 18 days at Montes Claros´prison, after a denounce of fraud in a bidding process made by Oliva. The former secretary of Treasury would´ve diverted around U$200 thousand from Fundeb (National Fund for Development and Education).

Among other reasons, Viana was released because his lawyers have alleged he didn´t represented risk to the witnesses. “Since I am witness against him in several prosecutions, I believe that the preliminary verdict that keeps him free will be revoked and he will get back to jail”, says the journalist.

Oliva has registered the case and undergone medical examinations. “In the following day, I´ve communicated the fact to the Federal Public Ministry. The public prosecutor from Montes, Claros Alan Versiani de Paula, has assigned a sheriff from the Federal Police (similar to CIA) to take all the needed measures, including the request of the video tape from the airport´s security system”, tells Oliva.