At the center of the controversy surrounding the production of the film “Dark Horse”, federal deputy Mário Frias (PL-SP) became the target of complaints from the PT and PSOL at the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) for alleged “rachadinha” practices. Last Friday, a former employee told g1 that she returned part of her salary to the parliamentarian’s then chief of staff, with Frias’ knowledge, between February 2023 and March 2024. Furthermore, minister Flávio Dino, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), demanded information about amendments sent by Frias to an NGO linked to the film about former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), of which the deputy is the executive producer.
In addition to the PGR, the PT bench in the Chamber of Deputies will also activate the House Ethics Council. They claim that there are “indications of money laundering” in the deputy’s transactions linked to the film, and ask for investigations into the former employee’s allegations.
PSOL, as shown by columnist Bernardo Mello Franco, from GLOBO, presented a criminal report through deputy Chico Alencar (RJ). According to g1, the former employee identified as Gardênia Morais paid off a credit bill for the deputy’s wife and made a PIX of R$1,000 for his mother:
— The deputy knew, the deputy was aware of all the returns. It was an initial agreement, the deputy always participates. And then the day-to-day dealings took place with (Raphael) Azevedo, who at the time was the deputy’s chief of staff, right-hand man — said Gardênia.
Cracked report
One of the receipts shows that the former employee made a PIX of R$1,000 on January 29, 2024 to Maria Lucia Frias, the parliamentarian’s mother. Another receipt indicates that, in December 2023, the former employee paid a credit card bill from Juliana Frias, the deputy’s wife, in the amount of R$4,832.32.
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Appointed parliamentary secretary in February 2023, Frias’ former employee took out five loans in the amount of R$174,886. Part of the amount was transferred to the then chief of staff, according to g1. Gardênia states that only one of the loans was made for personal use.
— Of the five loans, one is private to me, the rest were all made at the request of the deputy and Raphael Azevedo to pay off campaign debts [de 2022]. The loans were made and they were not repaid, they are all outstanding at Serasa — said the former employee.
The former employee stated that there were more transfers than those identified by g1, totaling R$35,116. Gardênia also says that “there were more people returning” the salary in the office, besides her. In March 2024, the former employee made a withdrawal of R$49,999.99 in cash. She did not reveal to whom the funds were delivered.
Dino Charges
Amidst the stress, Frias carries out an official mission in Bahrain. The trip frustrated Dino’s attempts to notify the parliamentarian so that he could provide information about amendments sent to the company linked to the producer of the film about Bolsonaro.
Because of this, the minister instructed the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Hugo Motta (Republicanos-PB), to provide information, within 48 hours, about the deputy’s “functional situation”. Dino even wants to know about the period authorized by the Chamber for Frias to participate in the official mission. According to the House press office, the deputy submitted a request for an official mission from the 12th to the 18th of this month.
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In response, Frias said, in a post published on X on Thursday morning, that he “learned through the press” that Dino “would like some information” about him. The deputy stated that he will arrive in Brazil this Monday (25) for a “live meeting, which will be a great opportunity to provide all the clarifications you wish”.
Contradictions about film
Audio messages revealed by the Intercept Brasil website last week show Frias thanking banker Daniel Vorcaro, owner of Banco Master, for his financial support for the production of the film about Bolsonaro.
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The film gained prominence after the revelation of audios in which senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ), pre-candidate for the Presidency of the Republic, charges money to Vorcaro for supposed “backward installments” that would be late for the production of the work. The amount paid exceeded R$60 million out of the more than R$130 million provided for in the sponsorship contract, as shown by GLOBO.
“Just thank you, my brother. We’re going to touch the hearts of a lot of people and it’s going to be very important for our country, okay? I need to tell you from time to time how things are going, okay?” , says Frias in the message.
The disclosure marked Frias’ contradictions about the case. Shortly after the publication about Flávio, he said that the film had not received a “single cent” from the banker. Later, when the senator reaffirmed the negotiation, Frias claimed that there were “different interpretations” of the statements about the film’s financing — since Vorcaro had used the company “Entre Participações” to make the transfer, and not Master himself.
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