Federal deputy Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG) and pastor Guilherme Batista, from Igreja Lagoinha, used a jet from the owner of Banco Master, Daniel Vorcaro, to campaign in 2022 for then-president Jair Bolsonaro. The information was investigated by journalist Malu Gaspar, from the newspaper The Globe.
The aircraft was used to move the Youth caravan across Brazil, with the aim of seeking votes in regions of at least nine states in which Lula came out ahead in the first round of the elections.
Nikolas appears, alongside Batista and Christian influencer Jey Reis, in a photo on social media in front of the Embraer 505 Phenom 300 jet. In the publication, the influencer highlights: “mission accomplished! In five days we visited all the capitals of the Northeast with maximum capacity everywhere! The opportunity to experience this with this mega team, preach and show love for our country was unforgettable.”
According to the vehicle, the jet flew to all capitals in the Northeast and also to Brasília and Vale do Jequitinhonha and Triângulo Mineiro, both in Minas Gerais, between the 20th and 28th of October.
The jet is owned by the Prime You group. At the time, Vorcaro still owned the company together with Maurício Quadrado.
Questioned by the publication, Nikolas confirmed that he had made the trips, but without knowing that the plane belonged to the former banker. The deputy stated that the trips took place at the invitation of pastor Guilherme Batista and that he did not deal with the logistics of the caravan.
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In a note, Nikolas also stated that, even if he knew that the banker was the owner of the jet on that occasion, “there was no element that indicated an irregular situation or that justified questioning”.
The Lagoinha church, of which Batista is a member, is the same as that of Fabiano Zettel, a pastor who is Vorcaro’s brother-in-law and right-hand man, and who was arrested in November at Guarulhos airport. He was also the biggest donor to Tarcísio de Freitas and Jair Bolsonaro’s campaigns in 2022.
