Flávio Bolsonaro Uses Lulinha Case to Undermine Lula, Focuses on Security with Derrite

Senator Flávio Bolsonaro has initiated his weekly online broadcast by employing a strategy to tarnish President Lula's image, focusing on the ongoing investigations surrounding Fábio Luís Lula da Silva, widely known as Lulinha, Lula's son. Bolsonaro also targeted Lula's economic policies, citing Brazil's high real interest rates, and addressed public security concerns alongside Guilherme Derrite, former Secretary of Public Security for São Paulo's government.

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the theft from the INSS retirees has reached Lula's office

During the broadcast, Bolsonaro praised El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele and advocated for harsher penalties for cellphone theft. He drew a parallel between Lulinha's alleged actions and the INSS (National Institute of Social Security) pension fund, stating, "The theft from the INSS retirees has reached Lula's office." Lulinha is currently the subject of three investigations by the Federal Police at the Supreme Federal Court, focusing on suspicions of influence peddling. These probes examine business dealings involving Lulinha, businesswoman Roberta Luchsinger, and Antônio Carlos Camilo Antunes, known as "Careca do INSS."

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If my son is guilty, he will pay.

The Federal Police report suggests Lulinha was an indirect beneficiary of Luchsinger's actions, who allegedly sought political connections to facilitate the sale of cannabidiol-based medications to the federal government. This finding was reported by Veja magazine, based on police documents obtained by Folha. President Lula has stated that while he believes in his son's innocence, Lulinha must prove it through the legal process, adding, "If my son is guilty, he will pay."

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the theft of millions of elderly people in Brazil

Lulinha has initiated legal proceedings to have a video posted by Senator Flávio Bolsonaro removed. The video controversially links him to alleged INSS embezzlement, with captions like "the theft of millions of elderly people in Brazil" and "the theft of the elderly from INSS cannot go unpunished." In his broadcast, Flávio Bolsonaro also asserted that Lula's economic policies are more damaging to a country than war. This statement followed comments by Daniella Marques, former president of Caixa Econômica Federal under Bolsonaro's government, who joined the live stream to discuss economic proposals. Marques noted that Brazil's real interest rates are higher than those of Russia, a nation engaged in prolonged conflict. Despite a recent reduction in the benchmark interest rate (Selic) to 14% annually, Brazil maintains the world's highest real interest rate, according to rankings by Portal MoneYou and Lev Intelligence, surpassing countries like Russia, Colombia, Indonesia, and Argentina. Bolsonaro also expressed sadness over the closure of hundreds of Casas Bahia stores, lamenting the struggles of a once-major retail empire.

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the theft of the elderly from INSS cannot go unpunished