Supreme Court Justice Flávio Dino requested explanations from the Chamber of Deputies regarding a foreign trip taken by Rep. Mario Frias (PL-SP) [1].
The request comes as part of an investigation into the use of parliamentary amendments. The funds in question were allegedly directed to an NGO linked to the production of "Dark Horse," a biopic about former President Jair Bolsonaro [4, 5].
Justice Dino sent the official request to Hugo Motta (Republicanos-PB), the president of the Chamber of Deputies, in Brasília [2]. Dino established a 48-hour deadline [1] for the legislative body to respond to the inquiry, which was issued on Wednesday, May 20 [3].
The judicial move follows a period of nearly one month during which attempts to summon Frias were unsuccessful [6]. The court is seeking to determine the nature of the deputy's travel and its connection to the ongoing financial probes, specifically how public amendments may have influenced the film's production via the associated NGO [4, 5].
Rep. Frias and the Chamber of Deputies have not yet provided the requested documentation. The investigation focuses on whether public funds were improperly diverted to support a political project under the guise of an NGO's activities [5].
“Justice Flávio Dino set a 48-hour deadline for the Chamber of Deputies to respond.”
This action signals a tightening of judicial oversight regarding the use of 'parliamentary amendments,' which are often criticized in Brazil for lacking transparency. By targeting a trip linked to a biopic of a former president, the court is examining the intersection of public funding, non-profit organizations, and political propaganda.
