the senator (-PI) is one of the leaders of the center in Brasília. Characterized by political pragmatism, he has already gravitated from the support base of PT governments to the Esplanada dos Ministérios of () and sought the support of Lula (PT) after failing in his attempt to be vice-president of governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans) on a possible presidential ticket.
The PF carried out a search and seizure warrant this Thursday (7) at the congressman’s addresses as part of a new phase of Operation Compliance Zero, which investigates suspicions related to .
The suspicion is that Ciro Nogueira received amounts operated by Felipe Vorcaro, cousin of , owner of the bank.
The senator was born in 1968, in Teresina, Piauí. Graduated in law from PUC-RJ, he was a federal deputy for four terms, from 1995 to 2011. From then on, he joined the Federal Assembly, having been elected again in 2018. Since 2013, he has presided over Progressistas.
With , has already supported and praised (). He even called the PT member the “best president in history, especially for Piauí and the Northeast”. He also always maintained dialogue with the current occupant of the federal Executive.
In the past, he also called Bolsonaro “fascist” and “prejudiced”, but later became one of his main defenders.
In one of the government’s worst moments, during the installation of Covid’s CPI, he led a riot squad to try to defend the government, which had been in the minority in the commission due to the lack of coordination between Planalto and government leaders.
However, he always knew how to choose his battles. During the testimony of former chancellor Ernesto Araújo, many noticed his absence, leaving the former minister to be harshly attacked by independent and opposition senators, only being defended by congressmen with less experience.
On the other hand, he fiercely defended the former Minister of Health and General Eduardo Pazuello.
If public praise and defense are circumstantial, stronger signs of ties are usually represented when he presents a friend with the shirt of Ríver do Piauí, a team of which he is a fanatical fan and of which he was once president.
This was the senator’s definitive gesture of rapprochement with Bolsonaro, in 2020, and also coincided with the center’s arrival in government.
In 2021, it was , one of the . The department has the function of organizing and coordinating government actions, as well as working to coordinate ministries.
The following year, he was the target of a Federal Police operation on suspicion of having received money from JBS so that the PP could support the re-election of (PT) in 2014.
According to the PF, the company owner, Joesley Batista, recorded a conversation he had with the politician at his home. “The meeting was scheduled by Joesley Batista, to deliver a suitcase containing R$500,000 in cash to Ciro Nogueira,” said the corporation.
The parliamentarian denied having committed any irregularity, and the Attorney General’s Office suggested closing the case due to lack of evidence. In total, eight cases against him were filed by the (Supreme Federal Court) with this justification.
At the end of the Jair Bolsonaro government, Ciro Nogueira was the spokesperson for the announcement that the government would transition from government to PT at the end of 2022.
During the Lula government, he was a vocal supporter of the PP’s departure from the government and tried to articulate a vacancy for (Republicans).
Having failed, in 2025, the senator was received by President Lula on the eve of Christmas at Granja do Torto. The request came from Ciro Nogueira himself, and the meeting was attended by the president of , (-PB).
According to reports, the party leader approached the PT member in search of a senator for Piauí. An ally of Ciro Nogueira stated that the proposal was to not hinder the candidacy. In exchange, the PP would move away from (PL) in the presidential contest, which ended up not happening.
Ciro Nogueira was one of the politicians on the flight on which they were transported upon arriving in Brazil. As revealed by Sheetthe case is investigated by the PF, which reported the fact to the STF.
The episode occurred when Fernando Oliveira Lima, known as Fernandin OIG, returned from a trip to the Caribbean island of São Martinho, owner of online betting companies that offer games such as Fortune Tiger — popularly known as the “little tiger game”. He was the target of the Bets CPI (Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry).
Nogueira publicly defended the businessman at the CPI and, as shown, traveled on Fernandin’s private jet to tour Monaco.
Also according to the publication, Fernandin OIG, Ciro’s former advisor Victor Linhares and the parliamentarian held one. The former advisor received R$625,000 from the betting businessman. In the same period, Linhares transferred R$35,000 to the senator’s personal account.
Nogueira told the magazine that the amount was a refund for a hotel reservation in Capri, Italy, and that the R$625,000 was payment for a luxury watch, negotiated directly between the businessman and his former advisor.
