Brazil’s Ruling Party Petitions Supreme Court to Audit Flávio Bolsonaro Amendments Over Militia Link

Brazil’s ruling Workers’ Party (PT) has escalated its political and legal confrontation with the Bolsonaro family, petitioning the Supreme Federal Court (STF) to order a full audit of all public funds allocated by Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ) since 2019. The request, filed by the PT leader in the Chamber of Deputies, follows recent investigative reports detailing a financial link between a Bolsonaro aide and a former police officer convicted in a case related to the murder of Rio de Janeiro councilwoman Marielle Franco.

The petition asks the STF, Brazil’s highest court, to mandate the Comptroller-General of the Union (CGU), the government's internal oversight body, to examine every parliamentary amendment the senator has directed to third-sector entities since the start of his term. Parliamentary amendments are mechanisms through which individual lawmakers can earmark portions of the federal budget for specific projects, which critics often allege can be misused for political patronage or financial kickbacks.

The formal legal challenge is based on reports, including from Revista Piauí, that an aide from Senator Bolsonaro's office negotiated a nearly R$200,000 (roughly $36,000 USD) amendment in 2023 for a non-governmental organization (NGO). The request for the public funds came from Robson Calixto Fonseca, known as "Peixe," a former police officer convicted for obstruction of justice in the Marielle Franco murder investigation and who is alleged to have ties to Rio de Janeiro’s powerful criminal militias. The reports include messages in which Fonseca referred to Flávio Bolsonaro as "our senator."

This development places new focus on the long-standing allegations concerning the Bolsonaro family's connections to Rio’s paramilitary groups. Flávio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro and a potential presidential candidate in the 2026 election, has previously faced investigations—such as the rachadinha (salary kickback) scheme—that also involved former aides and individuals linked to Rio’s organized crime. Militias are a significant force in Rio, often composed of current and former security personnel who extort protection money and control local services in large parts of the city.

The STF now must decide whether to accept the PT’s request and open a formal investigation under the jurisdiction of a minister. A mandated audit by the CGU would be a significant institutional step, as the agency has already been investigating irregularities in other specific amendments allocated by the senator, including one worth R$4 million to the Vasco da Gama football club. The outcome of this legal maneuver will intensify the political tension between the ruling PT and the opposition PL party, focusing corruption allegations on a high-profile figure in the run-up to the next election cycle.