Spending by federal deputies on renting cars, boats and aircraft has risen in recent years and totals at least R$279 million from 2019 to 2025. The values are expected to increase because this year’s numbers are not yet finalized.
Last week, Bolsonaro deputies (-RJ) and (PL-RJ) suspected irregularities in the use of funds for vehicle rental.
From 2019 to 2024, the last year with complete information on the Chamber’s transparency page, deputies’ spending on these rentals increased by approximately 18%, already discounting inflation measured by the IPCA (Broad National Consumer Price Index).
At the beginning of this week, R$40.9 million had already been released for 2025. The numbers are incomplete, since the year has not yet ended and deputies have 90 days to enter the expenses into the system.
These expenses are financed by the Chamber through the so-called Quota for the Exercise of Parliamentary Activity, known in political jargon as “Cotão”. The money is used to cover expenses ranging from maintaining offices at electoral bases to purchasing airline tickets.
The amount available monthly for each deputy varies according to the state from which he was elected, due to the difference in air ticket prices to Brasília. The lowest monthly quota, R$36,600, is for deputies from the Federal District. The highest, R$51,400, for those in Roraima.
The deputy who spent the most on leasing or chartering cars, boats or aircraft in the current legislature, which began in 2023, was Éder Mauro (PL-PA). R$883.5 thousand has already been released, according to Chamber data analyzed by Sheet. Of this total, R$540 thousand went to renting or chartering boats, and R$343.5 thousand went to cars.
Éder Mauro said, through his press office, that he has rented the same car since the beginning of his term. According to him, all leases have values compatible with those practiced in the market.
“In relation to the vessel, in order to carry out political work with the population, its use is essential in our state, where more than 70% of municipalities have access predominantly by rivers”, he said.
Transport by boat is common in the North region, where several Amazonian cities are connected by rivers. Furthermore, the size of the states makes the displacements larger.
The four deputies who spent the most on car, boat and aircraft rentals in the current legislature, so far, are from Pará or Amazonas.
Vehicle rentals paid with money from the Chamber were in the news last week because of a PF operation that targeted Sóstenes Cavalcante and Carlos Jordy. The police found around R$430,000 in cash at an address linked to Sóstenes.
The suspicion raised by the police in the case files is that a car rental company hired by the deputies and paid for with funds from the parliamentary quota continued to receive money even after being irregularly dissolved.
“The aforementioned business company continues to receive payments made by parliamentarians Carlos Jordy and federal deputy Sóstenes Cavalcante, which are reimbursed as expenses paid with parliamentary quota, relating to the rental or charter of motor vehicles”, stated the PF.
The document also cites transfers between an alleged car rental shell company and an advisor to Jordy, “demonstrating a possible path for the money.”
The PGR (Attorney General’s Office) saw evidence of collusion between Jordy and Sóstenes’ advisors to give the appearance of legality to the operation.
Sóstenes told the press that he is being persecuted for being right-wing and that cash was found at his address. The deputy said that the buyer wanted to pay in cash and that he had not deposited the funds yet because of “this rush of work”.
“I ended up not making a deposit, but I would have. In fact, part of it, I have been thinking about doing other business and everything, I ended up not making the deposit”, he replied.
Jordy published a video on social media and called the action “cowardly.” According to him, the justification for the search and seizure is that he had diverted resources from the parliamentary quota to a closed car rental company.
“Being that it is the same company that I have been renting cars from since the beginning of my first term. The same company that Deputy Sóstenes, which I believe is also being targeted for search and seizure, has been renting vehicles from the same company since the beginning of his first term. Their claim is crude, they say that the number of vehicles from this company draws a lot of attention,” he said.
