Former Advisor Involves Bolsonaro and Tourism Minister in Campaign Slush Fund

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Haissander Souza de Paula, coordinator of Marcelo Álvaro Antônio’s campaign for federal deputy in Rio Doce (MG), said in his statement to the Federal Police that “he thinks part of the money earmarked for women’s campaigns was actually used to pay for campaign material of Marcelo Álvaro Antônio and Jair Bolsonaro”.

In a spreadsheet, named “MarceloAlvaro.xlsx”, there is a reference to the provision of electoral material for Bolsonaro’s campaign with the note “fora,” which means, in the opinion of researchers, “offbooks”.

Folha has disclosed in reports published since early February the existence of a scheme to divert public funds from the PSL campaign in 2018, which allocated various resources for purposes that, by law, should have been used by the party’s female candidates.

Álvaro Antônio, the most voted federal deputy in Minas Gerais, was the state coordinator of Bolsonaro’s presidential campaign.

The minister was charged by the Federal Police and indicted by the Minas Gerais Prosecutor’s Office last Friday, October 4th, on charges of electoral fraud, misappropriation of electoral funds and criminal association – with penalties of five, six and three years in prison, respectively. He denies any wrongdoing.

Haissander was detained for five days in late June, along with two other suspects – among them a current advisor to Álvaro Antônio in the Ministry of Tourism – and had never until then acknowledged the existence of fraud in the use of public funds bt PSL during the 2018 campaign.

In the testimony that points to suspicions of a slush fund – unreported campaign money – in the campaign of Álvaro Antônio and Jair Bolsonaro, Haissander further states that “Lilian has surely not spent the R$65 thousand (US$16,250) she received”.

The statement refers to Lilian Bernardino, one of the four female  “paper candidates” disclosed by Folha. The women, despite being among those who received the most public funds from PSL on a national level, showed no obvious signs of having carried out a campaign.

The four, together, received a total of R$279,000 in public funds from the party, yet garnered only 2,074 votes. Part of this money went to companies linked to the current minister’s office.

Lilian formally disputed a seat in the Legislative Assembly of Minas Gerais, but although there was a record of a transfer in the amount of R$65,000 in public funds from the PSL to herself, she received only 196 votes.

Haissander’s testimony, which is part of the investigation, was given nine hours after he was arrested on June 27th. The delay occurred because he was waiting for a lawyer, who did not get there on time.

During the custody interrogation, the former advisor stated that he did not confirm the statements he had previously given.

The defense tried to nullify the first statement, but the court denied the request, arguing that “all constitutional and legal guarantees remained assured, among them the previous awareness of remaining silent”.

Álvaro Antônio, Haissander, Mateus Von Rondon (special advisor to the ministry), a former advisor, two printing company representatives, a PSL state representative, and the four candidates were charged on Friday.

It is now up to the courts to decide whether to accept or reject the Prosecutor’s Office’s denunciation.

Source: Folha de S.Paulo