The mayor of São Paulo, Ricardo Nunes (MDB), stated this Monday, the 1st, that Operation WI-FI could constitute “political persecution” if the investigation is related to the production of the film about former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL). The Civil Police offensive investigates suspicions of fraud in a R$ 108 million City Hall tender won by Instituto conhecimento Brasil (ICB), an NGO linked to businesswoman Karina Ferreira da Gama, partner of Go UP Entertainment Ltd, producer of the feature film “Dark Horse” about Bolsonaro’s political trajectory.
The mayor was asked this morning about one of the hypotheses investigated by the Citizen Protection Police Department (DPPC), which may have been intended for Go UP during the production of the film.
“I have a packaging company, I have a landfill company, I have a farm, I have several activities, I am mayor, what is the problem with a person having several activities? So, if that is the motivation, then I think it is serious. That changes my speech. If the motivation is because of the film, then they are going after a contract with the city hall for 2024 because of the film? That is serious. That is political persecution”, said the mayor.
This Monday (1) WI-FI Operation reached the headquarters of the NGO suspected of irregularities, Go UP, two residential addresses in Karina Ferreira da Gama and the headquarters of the Municipal Secretariat for Innovation and Technology. In total, investigators searched eight addresses.
O Estadão asked Karina to comment on the investigation. The space is open for manifestation.
“I don’t think anyone deserves to be crucified because they have a political preference A or B. I’m here today handing over 131 apartments to an entity that is linked to the left. Clearly linked to the left”, said the mayor during an event in Campos Elíseos, in the center of the capital, where he inaugurated popular apartments in partnership with the Unification of Tenement and Housing Struggles.
Continues after advertising
Nunes stated that the municipal management “did not identify anything wrong” in the investigated contract and the City Hall “met all the criteria we have for economics”.
According to the investigation, the City Hall made additions that increased the transfers to Karina’s NGO to R$157.1 million. At least R$26 million would have been paid “without the effective provision of the service”, according to the authorities. The police are investigating bid fraud, contract execution fraud and possible embezzlement of public resources.
Nunes’ management reported this morning that it “vehemently repudiates conclusions of misappropriation of public resources, since the Instituto Saber Brasil (ICB) contract strictly followed the principles of legality, transparency and economy”.
The focus of the Civil Police investigation is a contract signed between the ICB and the Municipal Department of Innovation and Technology for the implementation and maintenance of 5,000 public Wi-Fi points on the outskirts of São Paulo.
The Civil Police points to signs of targeting and fraud in the public call, which was won only by the ICB, an entity with no previous experience in the telecommunications area and with operations concentrated in fairs and literary and religious events. The Municipal Audit Court (TCM) identified 20 irregularities in the notice and recommended the suspension of the contract, but the City Hall maintained the contract.
The Police also pointed out signs of overpricing in the contract when comparing the amounts previously paid by the City Hall with those charged by the ICB, which stipulated a monthly cost of R$1,800 per Wi-Fi point installed. According to the investigation, only 3,200 points were actually executed, despite successive amendments that expanded the contract by R$49.1 million and sought to justify delays in delivery.
Continues after advertising
A report sent to the Police by the Public Prosecutor’s Office also indicates advance payments of R$26 million without proof of services, while the City Hall has already disbursed R$83 million to the institute and reserved another R$53 million in this year’s budget.
Regarding businesswoman Karina Ferreira da Gama’s relationship with the contract and, at the same time, the film about Jair Bolsonaro, Nunes said: “And what’s the problem? What’s the problem? She can’t? What’s the problem? What’s the problem? So, guys, let’s be realistic here. If the issue is political, if eventually the issue is political, I think it’s a serious mistake. I think it’s disrespectful to democracy. If the issue is political, if it happens to be a political issue. If they are doing This is because of the film, so I think it’s serious. So I think there needs to be another type of investigation.”
“To date, the City Hall has not identified anything wrong with this contract. Quite the contrary, it has met the issue of advantage, it has met all the criteria we have for economy and service provision to serve people. From the City Hall’s point of view, I guarantee you that I am absolutely calm. I’ll talk again. The Civil Police went on a search and seizure today to take the material they had already received. Period”, he stated.
Continues after advertising
‘Decent person’
Nunes stated that she knows businesswoman Karina Ferreira da Gama, although she has no contact with the owner of ICB and the production company GoUp.
“She’s not someone I talk to, who I have contact with, but I have no problem having one either. I’m not excluding myself here, I think she’s a decent person, a hard-working woman, a woman who, like any other, is struggling and who knows Bolsonaro”, explained the mayor.
Continues after advertising
Read the full note from São Paulo City Hall
The City of São Paulo informs that it collaborates with ongoing investigations and remains at the disposal of the authorities, having already provided information. All the material requested on Monday morning had already been made available to the authorities and has always been publicly accessible, through the municipality’s accountability. The administration emphasizes that the program operates normally in the city and can be followed in real time at the link https://wifilivrecomunidades.org/sp.
Around 9am this Monday, of the 3,200 points contracted by the city hall, only 52 were offline and undergoing maintenance. There was no payment by the administration for 5 thousand points. The additive in question is exclusively for maintaining the 3,200 points already installed in the city’s peripheral communities.
Continues after advertising
The city hall reinforces that all accountability, with documents, invoices, contracts and other information, is in the SEI system, which is public. The process was also monitored by the Municipal Audit Court (TCM). The City Hall vehemently repudiates any conclusions about misappropriation of public resources, since the Instituto Saibar Brasil contract strictly followed the principles of legality, transparency and economy.
It is worth remembering that the public call, open for 30 days to any interested entity, took place in 2024, when the mentioned film was not even produced, and the process met all legal requirements. For 2026, the estimated cost of the partnership with the institute corresponds to R$1,280.80 per point/month, significantly lower than the proposals received in 2022, of R$2,026.26 per point/month and R$5,092.14 per point/month.
