Brazilian lawmaker asks Supreme Court to investigate alleged campaign bribes involving Vorcaro, Tarcísio

A federal lawmaker has asked Brazil's Supreme Court to investigate allegations by former Master banker Daniel Vorcaro that campaign donations to Jair Bolsonaro and Tarcísio de Freitas in 2022 served as bribes.

Alencar Santana, a lawmaker from the Workers' Party in São Paulo, filed the request on Friday. Vorcaro made the claims in a proposed plea-bargain statement that Brazil's Federal Police and Federal Public Prosecutor's Office rejected.

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never had any contact or relationship with Daniel Vorcaro and has no knowledge of the fact mentioned by the report.

Vorcaro said he donated 3 million reais to Tarcísio's campaign to keep the Credcesta payroll-deducted credit-card contract with the São Paulo government. He said he also donated 2 million reais to Bolsonaro's presidential campaign for the same reason. The donations were made in the name of Fabiano Zettel, Vorcaro's brother-in-law.

Vorcaro said the alleged bribe arrangement involved Gilberto Kassab, president of the Social Democratic Party and a candidate for vice president alongside former governor Ronaldo Caiado. Kassab had served as Tarcísio's government secretary.

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categorically repudiates and denies any insinuation of irregularity or favoritism

Tarcísio said he had "never had any contact or relationship with Daniel Vorcaro and has no knowledge of the fact mentioned by the report." The São Paulo government said it "categorically repudiates and denies any insinuation of irregularity or favoritism" in the case. It said PKL Credcesta received authorization under the previous administration through objective criteria, with no discretion involved, and met the required conditions.

Kassab called Vorcaro's account "an absolutely fanciful story" and said he rejected it "vehemently." Bolsonaro's defense did not respond to a request for comment.

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an absolutely fanciful story