Following the Court’s decision to suspend some benefits granted to the former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), due to the position he held, the Union must save at least R$1 million per year com expenses related to vehicles, security guards, assistants, fuel and travel.
Survey carried out by CNN Brazil based on information from the Civil House Open Data Portal shows that the former president used around R$ 900 thousand from public coffers to financer, this year — until October — support teams, provided by law for former heads of the Executive.
Em 2024this value exceeded R$ 1.7 million. And, in 2023total expenditure increased from R$ 1.9 million.
The legislation guarantees that each former president has a lifetime right to two vehicles and a support team that includes up to eight employees — four for security and four for support, including advisors and drivers — in addition to two official vehicles, and the benefit is personal and does not extend to the family.
If you combine all these benefits and how much they cost, the former president paid R$ 682,307.06 in expenses only with staff salaries, gasoline and vehicle maintenance in the year 2025, with data up to the month of October.
Last Monday (10), Bolsonaro’s security guards and drivers, as well as his vehicles.
In the document, the judge argues precisely that the former president is in prison and that, therefore, “the structure currently maintained by the Union does not add relevant existential protection to the defendant, already in the custody of the State, but consumes public resources to preserve a symbolic status of former head of State, precisely at the moment when the order expressly removes relevant rights from him”.
In the total amount for this year, also including expenses with airline tickets, tax obligations, consumables and other services, Bolsonaro cost R$983,742.97 to public coffers. Look:
Compared to the expenses of other former presidents, Bolsonaro is among those who spent the least in 2025. Staying behind Fernando Henrique Cardoso (R$ 756.725,74) e José Sarney (R$884.686,37).
However, it is worth remembering that he suffered some sanctions, making him unable to leave the country, for example and later, in August this year, which reduces travel and daily expenses.
Other presidents
The former president José Sarney spent, this year until the month of October, R$ 776,776.95 from public coffers for lifetime benefit spending. The month in which there was the most expenditure was July, with a total value of R$ 109.663,19.
Not case of Fernando Collorthe total amount for the year up to October was R$ 882.930,17. June was also the month in which Collor had the most expenses, totaling R$ 127,425.99. It is worth remembering that Collor is under house arrest, but his rights were not cut off, as was determined by Bolsonaro.
The former president’s biggest expense Fernando Henrique Cardosois with “fixed salaries and benefits – Civilian Personnel”, that is, the salary of your team. In the year 2025, until the month of October, he spent a total of R$ 756.725,74.
From January to October, the former president Dilma Rousseff spent a total of R$ 1.831.331,37 in expenses with lifetime benefits, and the month of July accumulated more expenses: they were R$ 310.316,24 performed.
The former president Michel Temer played a total of R$ 1.245.504,83 from January to October this year. The month in which Temer cost the public coffers the most was July, when he used R$ 196.750,54.
