Lula attacks Tarcísio in São Paulo as Haddad links governor to ‘Master mafia’

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva used a campaign rally in São José do Rio Preto to attack São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas, calling him “a guy from Rio de Janeiro” and challenging the crowd to name a major project he had delivered in the state.

Speaking alongside Fernando Haddad of the Workers' Party, Lula contrasted Tarcísio with Haddad, whom he described as a colleague educated at the University of São Paulo who had served as mayor and as economy and education minister. Lula said Tarcísio had done no works for São Paulo, either in the previous administration or the current one. He did not directly mention presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro or the institutional crisis involving the Supreme Federal Court, instead focusing on his government's achievements and Haddad's campaign for governor.

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It is such an abominable thing that a guy from Rio de Janeiro, an Army lieutenant who did not even know which school he would vote at, should come here and the people of São Paulo prefer him over a colleague who graduated from USP, who was the city's mayor and was economy minister and education minister.

Haddad adopted a sharper tone, targeting the Banco Master scandal. He said the bank had conducted business with three former ministers of Jair Bolsonaro's government and referred to the group involved as “a mafia” seeking to perpetuate itself in power.

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Three ministers, the president of the Central Bank, the candidate for governor of São Paulo and the candidate for president, everyone put money into Master, got their hands on Master money, and we do not call this by its name? This is a mafia. Whoever set up Banco Master in this country is a mafia seeking to perpetuate itself in power.

Without naming Tarcísio, Haddad said the then-2022 São Paulo gubernatorial candidate received campaign donations linked to the bank. Daniel Vorcaro claimed in a rejected plea-bargain proposal that he donated 3 million reais to Tarcísio's campaign to preserve the Credcesta payroll-loan card's contract with the São Paulo government. Vorcaro said Gilberto Kassab helped arrange the alleged bribe and that the donations were made in the name of Fabiano Zettel, the banker's brother-in-law.

Tarcísio said he had “never had any contact or relationship with Daniel Vorcaro and has no knowledge of the mentioned fact.” Kassab called Vorcaro's account “an absolutely fanciful story” and said he rejected it emphatically. The São Paulo government categorically denied any suggestion of irregularity or favoritism, saying PKL Credcesta received accreditation under the previous administration through objective criteria and without discretionary choice.

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