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Federal deputy Zezinho Barbary (PP-AC) was mentioned by Folha de S. Paulo in the premiere of the special series “Power and Devastation”, published this Saturday (11). Journalistic production investigates how the actions of public authorities can contribute to environmental degradation in the Amazon, especially through the allocation of parliamentary amendments.
Deputy Zezinho Barbary/Photo: Reproduction
According to the report, “reporters Flávio Ferreira, from Politics, and Henrique Santana, from TV Folha, were sent to the interior of the state of Acre, in the Amazon region. They also show how a federal deputy uses his amendments to regularize the work of a road opened with illegal deforestation and invasion of indigenous land during the period when he himself was mayor of the municipality of Porto Walter.”
According to Folha, the Barbary branch, which connects Porto Walter to Cruzeiro do Sul, was built with resources from parliamentary amendments without due environmental licensing and even invaded the Jaminawa do Igarapé Preto Indigenous Land. The road, said to have Barbary as its main political godfather, would have been opened when he was still serving as mayor of Porto Walter.
The publication highlights that the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) closed the road due to irregularities in the licensing process. Furthermore, indigenous leaders reported threats and environmental impacts after the opening of the branch.
Ramal Barbary, road that passes through indigenous land/Photo: Reproduction
According to reports, the construction of the road directly affected the course of the Igarapé Preto, causing a reduction in water flow and the number of fish, in addition to burying small tributaries that cut through the Indigenous Land.
The “Power and Devastation” series, which is supported by the Rainforest Investigations Network and the Pulitzer Center, should continue over the next few months. The project analyzes how the political use of parliamentary amendments has a direct impact on environmental preservation.
The report recalls that the volume of resources allocated through amendments has been growing — with a forecast of R$50 billion in 2025 — and has generated disputes between the Powers, at a time when the environmental debate is gaining strength with the approach of COP30, which will be held in Belém (PA).
The first surveys in the series reveal that less than 1% of the total amendments in the last decade were allocated to the environmental area, while more than 1,600 heavy machines were sent by deputies and senators to states in the Amazon.
After publishing the material, Folha also released a photo gallery entitled “Get to know the Barbary branch, a road built illegally with resources from parliamentary amendments in the interior of Acre.”
ContilNet tried to contact the deputy, via his personal phone, but did not receive any answers until the report was finished.
The complete content is available on the Folha de S. Paulo website.
