The Instituto Saber Brasil hired an office that represented federal deputy Mário Frias (PL-SP) in four lawsuits to act in the execution of the program with the City of São Paulo to maintain public Wi-Fi access points in communities on the outskirts of São Paulo. The program is targeted by the Civil Police, on suspicion of fraud and misuse of public resources, which
The lawyer received R$ 341.9 thousand from the NGO without detailing the service provided, according to the accounting provided by the Estadão had access. The hiring of the lawyer was revealed by the “UOL” portal.
The Instituto Saber Brasil is a non-governmental organization (NGO) chaired by Karina da Gama, owner of Go Up Entertainment, responsible for producing Dark Horsea film inspired by the life of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL). The feature film’s script is written by Frias. The São Paulo Civil Police suspect that there is a financial confusion between the institute and the producer and that part of the money received from the contract was diverted to pay for the film about the former president.
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When contacted, the City of São Paulo denied irregularities and said that the facts highlighted by the report were “inlation”, “baseless” and “without evidence”.
In June 2024, the entity signed a R$108 million contract with the City of São Paulo for the installation of free Wi-Fi points in low-income communities in the capital.
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“There are consistent suspicions of property confusion [entre o instituto e a produtora] and that public resources from the ‘WiFi Livre SP’ program have been diverted to pay for the production activities of the aforementioned film, using the accounts of subcontracted companies and other social organizations managed by the investigated company to launder amounts diverted from the São Paulo treasury”, wrote delegate Antônio Carlos Munuera Silveira, head of the 2nd DICCA (Delegation for Crimes Against Public Administration, Combating Corruption and Money Laundering), in a letter sent to the 1st RAJ (1st Regional Guarantee Court).
The delegate requested the Financial Activities Control Council (Coaf) to analyze the financial movements of Karina Ferreira da Gama, as well as the ICB and the production company Go Up Entertainment Ltda, both owned by Karina, to verify the path of the money received by the ICB and its owner. The suspicion is of embezzlement of public funds and bid fraud.
The agreement between the NGO and the City Hall provides for the installation of 5,000 internet access points, of which, to date, 3,200 have been implemented. In December 2025, the contract received an addendum of R$49.1 million for the maintenance of routers already installed. With the additional amount, transfers from municipal management to the entity will reach R$ 157.1 million.
According to the term accounting, from July 2024 to July 2025, 12 payments were made to the Aguilera Martinez law firm. There was a transfer of R$151 thousand in July 2024 and 11 more installments of R$17.3 thousand until July of the following year. The NGO’s expenses with the office are described as “provision of legal services”, but there is no detail as to what these services would be. There is still no accounting available for the subsequent period.
During that same period, the office also provided services to Frias. Aguilera Martinez represented the deputy in four legal actions. There were three cases in the Electoral Court and one in the São Paulo State Court.
The three electoral processes are related to the same case and have been ongoing since April 2023. Aguilera and another lawyer (see below) have represented Frias in the actions since November of that year. The process in the State Court of São Paulo began in May 2023. Frias’ representatives were appointed in July of that year, and the process was closed (became final) in June 2024, in the same month that Karina da Gama’s NGO signed the agreement with the City Hall of the capital of São Paulo.
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In a statement, the City of São Paulo called the facts described in the report “irresponsible deception”, “baseless”, “flippant” and “without evidence”. “The fact that the office also serves the aforementioned parliamentarian does not constitute any irregularity,” said the management. “The administration reinforces that Instituto Saber Brasil was selected for the WiFi Livre SP program in 2024, through a public call that was open for 30 days to all interested entities, in a process that fully complied with legal requirements.”
The Instituto Saber Brasil and lawyer Diego Martinez were contacted, but did not respond.
As shown by the Estadãothe producer of Dark Horse hired another lawyer from Mário Frias with amendment money from the parliamentarian himself.
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In 2024, Frias allocated two amendments, worth R$1 million each, to two projects by Karina’s NGO. The resources were transferred to the entity the following year. One of the partnerships is linked to the Ministry of Sports, and the other, to the Ministry of Science and Technology.
In the Science and Technology portfolio, the initiative was named “Young Entrepreneur”. According to the project’s accounts, in February this year, Karina’s NGO made two transfers to a company whose partner is lawyer Fabio Lago Meirelles. There was a payment of R$30,000 for accounting services and another, of R$50,000, for legal services.
From 2022 to 2026, Fabio Lago Meirelles defended Mário Frias in at least nine court cases. In four of the nine cases, the defender acted through the Aguilera Martinez office, petitioning alongside Diego Aguilera Martinez.
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Hiring the entity’s own director
In addition to paying Mário Frias’ lawyers, Karina’s NGO used the parliamentarian’s amendment to make a contract prohibited by law. Event producer Marcelo Machado received a R$50,000 contract to provide “publicity” services for the “Jovem Empreendedor” project. The amount was transferred to the company MM7, which Machado owns, in February this year.
Machado is the leader of another entity presided over by Karina, the National Academy of Culture, which, like the Instituto Saber Brasil, is in the sights of the Federal Supreme Court for the possible allocation of public funds for the production of the film about Bolsonaro. The law prohibits NGOs from hiring companies owned by their own directors, given the conflict of interests. Machado was contacted by the report, but did not respond.
Police suspect diversion of Bolsonaro film
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The contract from the Instituto Saber Brasil to install Wi-Fi points is in the sights of the São Paulo Civil Police. The corporation suspects misuse of public funds to finance the film inspired by the life of Jair Bolsonaro.
In the investigation that supported the operation launched this Monday morning, the Civil Police pointed to signs of overpricing in the services provided by the NGO, in addition to suspicions in the invoices issued by companies subcontracted by the entity.
In a statement, the City of São Paulo stated that it had collaborated with the Civil Police investigation. The municipal management said that it “vehemently repudiates conclusions of misappropriation of public resources, since the ICB contract strictly followed the principles of legality, transparency and economy”.
