Justice Dino lifts secrecy in Dark Horse case and exposes investigation into parliamentary amendments
Justice Flávio Dino of the Supreme Federal Court lifted secrecy on the investigation into the alleged diversion of amendments to finance a Bolsonaro biopic.
Dino makes public material from São Paulo Civil Police in Dark Horse case
Justice Flávio Dino of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) lifted the secrecy of the Dark Horse case investigation on Sunday (13), according to cnnbrasil.com.br. The decision covers material produced by the São Paulo Civil Police regarding Go Up, the production company responsible for the biopic of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL).
Dino also ordered that the São Paulo Public Security Secretariat deliver to the Federal Police all raw material extracted from seized mobile phones, in addition to the devices, computers and documents collected during the investigations.
Two fronts at the STF investigate film financing
The investigation coordinated by Dino is one of two fronts opened at the STF regarding Dark Horse financing. The inquiry under his supervision investigates the possible irregular use of federal parliamentary amendments. The second front is the responsibility of Justice André Mendonça.
Among the targets of Dino's investigation are federal deputy Mario Frias (PL-SP) — executive producer of the film and former secretary of culture in the Bolsonaro administration — and Karina Gama, owner of Go Up.
Operation Make Up executes 49 warrants in four states
On Thursday (10), the Federal Police executed 49 search and seizure warrants in the Federal District and in the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Ceará, in the so-called Operation Make Up, authorised by Dino. Frias and Karina Gama were among the targets of the operation.
According to the Federal Police, the investigation examines the activities of an alleged criminal organisation formed by public and private agents, suspected of directing resources received through amendments to irregularly contracted companies without proof of actual service delivery.
Order points to "sophisticated scheme of public resource diversion"
In his order on Sunday, Dino stated that the evidence collected by the São Paulo Civil Police indicates a possible "sophisticated scheme of allocation and diversion of public resources", with the main focus on federal parliamentary amendments.
The investigation also records financial movements between Frias and Go Up. According to the Federal Police, the deputy allegedly sent amounts to the company that were considered incompatible with his declared income. In March, Dino had already requested that Frias provide clarification regarding a parliamentary amendment of R$ 2 million directed to Instituto Conhecer Brasil, an NGO linked to the production company. The justice requested information about possible irregularities in the execution of these resources.
In a statement sent to the Supreme Court in May, Frias denied any irregularity and argued that the amounts were intended for social purposes.
Dino cites "jurisprudential shift" to justify disclosure
To support the lifting of secrecy, Dino invoked recent decisions by justices André Mendonça and Edson Fachin regarding the disclosure of investigations and mentioned a "jurisprudential shift in progress" at the STF.
The justice also pointed out the risk of "selective leaks", which, according to him, could compromise the impartiality of the investigations by allowing directed disclosure of information against certain targets. Dino concluded that those under investigation in similar situations should receive the same treatment, including regarding the disclosure of names, financial data and conversations obtained during the investigations.
Source: Google News BR — Crime