Eduardo Mendonça Sodré Martins, 39, came to the government of Bahia in January 2023 under family support, with a recommendation from his stepfather (PT), leader of the government () in the Senate, and his mother Fátima Mendonça, first lady of the state between 2007 and 2014.
Target, the lawyer has a professional career in the private sector and is not affiliated with the PT. With a close relationship with the leadership of the party, but distant from the base, he reached the position of state secretary for the Environment of the government (PT).
The investigators paid R$3.5 million from PLK One Participações, a firm linked to the Credcesta operation, for a micro-company owned by Eduardo Sodré’s wife, Bonnie Bonilha. The paying company is linked to businessman Augusto Lima – former partner of , of .
According to the PF, Sodré played an active role in the charges against Augusto Lima. On September 4, 2025, he sent a message to the banker: “Tomorrow the bills are due and they are big.”
In response, Lima alleged difficulties citing the failure of the sale of Banco Master to BRB — the Central Bank had vetoed the deal the day before. However, he made the payments just over a month later, on October 17, 2025.
The payments were made to BN Financeira, a firm in the name of Bonnie Bonilha constituted as a micro-company, with reduced share capital and, according to the PF, without an apparent operational structure compatible with the amounts transferred.
Spreadsheets were also found on the cell phone of lawyer Daniel Lopes Monteiro, linked to Augusto Lima, containing payments of R$2.3 million to “Dudu”, a nickname that, according to the investigation, corresponded to Jaques Wagner’s stepson.
Graduated in Law from the Catholic University of Salvador, Eduardo Sodré is a university professor and was a member of the Environmental Commission of the OAB (Brazilian Bar Association). He worked as a consultant and does not have a history of direct legal work as a lawyer.
His management at the Ministry of Health is viewed with caution by environmentalists who work in Bahia. In 2025, the state recorded a 17% drop in deforestation indicators, but Bahia was the third state with the most areas of native vegetation devastated in the country.
In interviews, he defines himself as a technical staff and says he has no intention of running for elected office.
With the exception of his own law firm, Eduardo Sodré’s business activities are close to his father’s business, the publicist Guilherme Henrique Sodré Martins, known as Guiga, a long-time friend of Jaques Wagner and also the target of Operation Compliance Zero.
The investigations indicate that Guilherme Sodré acted as an articulator between the business core of Banco Master, Jaques Wagner’s personal environment and the senator’s office.
He was also investigated in O, in 2008, for allegedly acting as a lobbyist for banker Daniel Dantas – the evidence that supported the investigation would be annulled three years later.
Guilherme Sodré has a close relationship with the Master. A book that tells the story of his father, Geraldo Sodré Martins, was released in 2022 in Salvador with sponsorship from Daniel Vorcaro’s bank.
Eduardo and Guilherme Sodré are currently partners in two companies: an administrative services firm and a property firm.
Data from CruzaGrafos, a tool developed by Abraji (Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism) with data from companies registered with the Federal Revenue Service, show that the MMSM property is listed as a partner in a company in the energy sector.
Along with his father, Eduardo Sodré also owned a communications company and a financial company, both of which were paid off.
After the operation this Thursday (18), Governor Jerônimo Rodrigues expressed solidarity with Senator Jaques Wagner on social media, but made no reference to his Secretary of the Environment, also the target of the investigations.
Among the governor’s allies, the assessment is that Eduardo Sodré should remain in office.
The secretary was contacted this Thursday (18) and Friday (19) through his advisor, but did not comment on the investigations.
