The president of Brazil and candidate for re-election in the October elections, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), has reiterated that he will not lift a finger to support his son Fabio in case Justice concludes that he has committed any crime within the investigation opened for alleged corruption and influence peddling.
"I am not from the Prosecutor's Office, I am not police, I am not a judge. If Fabio committed any crime, he will have to pay for it like any other Brazilian citizen," he stated during an interview conducted late Thursday by the Globo network.
Still, the head of state emphasized that he is "sure" that he will be declared "not guilty." "We will wait to see what happens; the Presidency of the Republic will not do the slightest thing to protect my son," he argued.
The Federal Police is conducting an investigation into an alleged network of influence peddling and corruption surrounding businesswoman Roberta Luchsinger, suspected of diverting resources from the National Institute of Social Security (INSS) and participating in irregularities in contracts linked to the Ministry of Health, a scheme that reaches Lula's son, 'Lulinha', and businessman Antonio Carlos Camilo Antunes.
During the course of the investigations, agents identified alleged payments from Luchsinger to Lula's former chief of staff, Marco Aurélio Ribeiro Santana, known as 'Marcola'. In return, the businesswoman would have sent commercial proposals directly to the Palácio do Planalto to expedite procedures before different ministries, with 'Lulinha' as the supposed political intermediary.
In this context, investigators will need to clarify whether the president's son used his position to facilitate meetings related to a medicinal cannabis contract for the Ministry of Health, following a trip that 'Lulinha' made to Portugal along with Camilo Antunes in November 2024.
During the interview, Lula acknowledged that his former chief of staff made a serious mistake that has sown distrust within the Palácio do Planalto by accepting that Luchsinger cover part of his personal expenses, such as bills or loan installments. "Is there evidence that this involves public funds? Because that is where the crime lies," he questioned.