São Paulo Mayor Sues Ex-Councilman for Defamation Over Alleged Smear Campaign

São Paulo Mayor Ricardo Nunes has filed a criminal complaint against former councilman Camilo Cristófaro, accusing him of slander, insult, and defamation. The complaint, submitted to the Department of Citizen Protection Police, alleges that Cristófaro initiated a systematic and premeditated smear campaign against the mayor.

Nunes claims that Cristófaro's attacks began after his requests for political positions within the municipal government were rejected. The complaint specifically cites social media posts made by Cristófaro on July 17 and 18, in which he allegedly referred to the mayor as "shameless" and accused him of damaging the Company of Traffic Engineering (CET), citing reports of increased traffic fatalities in the city.

The mayor is seeking legal action to have the allegedly defamatory posts removed and Cristófaro's social media profiles suspended or blocked. Nunes stated, "Camilo crossed all reasonable limits in his attacks simply because I could not meet his requests to be a Subprefeito or for another appointment in the government. Then, when the attacks become practically blackmail, it is necessary to seek the appropriate venue, which is the judiciary, to stop this type of action."

This is not the first controversy involving Cristófaro. In 2023, his council mandate was revoked due to racist remarks, though he was later acquitted by the São Paulo Court of Justice. Separately, in March of this year, the Public Prosecutor's Office of São Paulo filed charges against him for defamation against the state's public security secretary and the former secretary.

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Camilo crossed all reasonable limits in his attacks simply because I could not meet his requests to be a Subprefeito or for another appointment in the government. Then, when the attacks become practically blackmail, it is necessary to seek the appropriate venue, which is the judiciary, to stop this type of action.