Senator Damares Alves (Republicanos-DF) sent a complaint to the Ethics Commission of the Presidency of the Republic against the president of Embratur, federal deputy Marcelo Freixo, for financing the parade of the Acadêmicos de Niterói samba school, which this year will honor President Lula (PT) in Sapucaí.
In the representation, the parliamentarian accuses him of having used public resources for political purposes by authorizing the transfer of R$1 million from Embratur to each of the associations linked to the League of Samba Schools (Liesa).
In the document, the senator also mentions a technical rehearsal in which Freixo allegedly participated and wore a shirt with Lula’s face, the practice constitutes political favoritism and a breach of the office’s ethical duties.
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“This is the instrumentalization of the public machine for political favoritism and amplification of an early electoral campaign, a practice that is incompatible with the democratic constitutional regime, with the principles of Public Administration and with the ethics required of public service”.
Freixo came out in defense of Embratur’s sponsorship of Liesa in a video published on his social networks. In the recording, he stated that the transfer, which totals R$12 million and is distributed among the 12 schools in the Special Group, would be an investment to promote Brazilian Carnival abroad, attract tourists and boost the economy. He also argued that the value is the same as last year and said that the state government and city hall also invest in the event.
With Lula as this year’s honoree, the association and the federal government have been the target of a wave of criticism on social media and representations filed by the right, as shown by GLOBO. In addition to the complaint made by Damares, the transfer was also the subject of a representation filed by Novo at the Federal Court of Auditors, which requested the suspension of sending the funds to Acadêmicos de Niterói.
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The request was denied yesterday by Minister Aroldo Cedraz, who argued that the financial contributions to Liesa would be the result of a cooperation agreement to “enhance the international visibility of Brazil as a tourist destination, using Rio Carnival as a strategic platform for cultural, tourist and institutional promotion”.
