During the former president’s government, the federal deputy hired, through the parliamentary quota, the company of a supporter to “publicize parliamentary activity”.
Since August last year, councilor Cristiano Mendes (PL), president of the Municipal Council of Macatuba, a city in the interior of São Paulo, has received R$4,500 a month in public resources, through the mandate of his party colleague. He opened the company CM Comunicação Estilo Ltda at the end of July, shortly before being hired for the role.
Both told the Panel that the hiring is legal and that the councilor provides regular services to the deputy.
The invoice for the provision of services indicates the address of the social media page of , a group coordinated by Captain Augusto at the Chamber.
Publications on Instagram from the front, however, are scarce. In February and March, for example, there were none. In April there were two and, in January, three.
In the few recent publications, state deputy Dani Alonso (PL), wife of Capitão Augusto, who created a similar front in the São Paulo Assembly, also appears.
Mendes has no professional history as a social media manager. Still, he told the reporter that he was hired because of the influence he has in the rodeo world.
Captain Augusto stated, via press office, that the hiring of the councilor “meets technical criteria, trust and notable practical performance” in a specific area of his parliamentary work.
The deputy said that, as president of the Front of Rodeios for 12 years, he maintains a permanent agenda focused on defending the segment. Mendes, in turn, according to him, provides “specialized institutional support and sector communication services”.
According to the deputy, among these services, in addition to publicizing parliamentary actions aimed at the segment, are presence at rodeo parties and rodeos, direct contact with organizers, entities and regional leaders, survey of the sector’s main demands, dialogue with mayors and local authorities linked to tourism and receiving suggestions for bills linked to the rodeo.
“All parliamentary expenses strictly follow the legal standards, administrative criteria and official mechanisms of public transparency provided for by the Chamber of Deputies”, states the parliamentarian.
According to data from the Chamber, “disclosure of parliamentary activity” is the item on which deputies spend the most resources from the parliamentary quota.
The Casa’s press office says that, in addition to publishing content on social media, it also involves expenses with the production of printed materials, such as information about the mandate, hiring communication agencies to produce television videos or radio spots and purchasing advertising space in newspapers.
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