13 Brazilian officials accused of electoral violations at state-funded fair

Brazil's Public Prosecutor's Office has filed a complaint against 13 public officials for alleged early electoral campaigning during the Rondônia Rural Show, an agricultural fair funded by the state government. The event, held in Ji-Paraná from May 25-30, is accused of being used as a platform for personal promotion ahead of the legally permitted campaign period.

The complaint details several alleged violations, including the use of billboards and the distribution of personalized promotional items. Senators Marcos Rogério and Jaime Bagattoli, along with federal deputies Silvia Cristina Amancio Chagas and Lúcio Mosquini, and state deputies Alex Redano, Cássio Gois, Cirone Deiró, Laerte Gomes, Nim Barroso, and Cláudia de Jesus are among those named. The president of the Ji-Paraná Municipal Chamber, Marcelo José de Lemos, is also included.

Specifically, Senators Rogério and Bagattoli are accused of using billboards that linked Bagattoli's actions to public resource allocation. Rogério faces accusations related to a billboard stating "The change Rondônia wants," interpreted as electoral messaging. Deputy Silvia Cristina is alleged to have distributed caps, t-shirts, and fans bearing her name, photograph, and parliamentary identification.

The State Secretariat of Agriculture (Seagri), responsible for organizing the fair, stated it had not been formally notified of the complaint. Seagri maintains that all public expenditures for the event adhered to legal and regulatory procedures and expressed readiness to provide clarifications.