The Federal District Court denied the appeal of businessman Antonio Carlos Camilo Antunes not to be identified as “Careca do INSS”.
Antunes is one of those investigated in Operation Without Discount, by the Federal Police (PF), which investigates undue discounts on association fees in the benefits of retirees and pensioners from the National Social Security Institute (INSS).
The decision was handed down, on Thursday (16), by the Third Panel of the Court of Justice of the Federal District and Territories (TJDFT), which judged an appeal by Antunes’ defense to overturn a first instance decision that maintained the freedom to mention the surname.
Unanimously, the board understood that the mention of the nickname cannot be understood as an offense and is characterized as a regular exercise of journalistic activity.
“The expression mentioned in the reports corresponds to a nickname widely used in the media, without demonstrating an offensive purpose”, explained the collegiate.
Antunes’ defense filed a criminal complaint against the owners of a DF news website. According to the lawyers, the publication had committed the crimes of slander, insult and defamation by writing that the accused bought a mansion in Trancoso (BA) with “cash”, a fact that could constitute money laundering.
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Furthermore, the lawyers claimed that the term “Careca do INSS” has a pejorative content and offends their client’s reputation.
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In April 2025, the PF and CGU launched Operation Without Discount. The investigations identified the existence of irregularities related to discounts on association fees applied to social security benefits, mainly retirement and pensions, granted by the INSS.
It is estimated that the investigated entities deducted around R$6.3 billion from retirees and pensioners between 2019 and 2024. At the time, at least six public servants were removed from their duties.
According to the INSS report released in March, more than 6.4 million people have already contested the charges and 4,401,653 adhered to the agreement, resulting in the return of almost R$3 billion to policyholders across the country.
