More than 3,000 candidates donate more than declared equity to their campaign | Choice in numbers

The survey conducted by G1 also shows that the differences between donation and equity reach R $ 45 thousand.

Experts point out that the donations are not considered illegal, but they show irregularities in the candidates’ wealth declarations.

The virtual professor of the PUC Minas and legal advisor of the TSE Lara Ferreira also recalls that Resolution 23.609 of 2019 of the TSE requires that candidates have a “current list of assets”, that is, the list of existing assets at the time of registering the requests.

“Strictly speaking, if you have money in savings or investments, you should have listed these economic resources at the time of registering the application,” says the professor. However, remember that the candidate may “have had an inadequate understanding of the standard” or may have obtained a loan to invest money in the campaign itself, and that it is not necessarily illegal.

“But it will be an element that will undoubtedly call attention to accountability and that will raise questions on the part of the Electoral Justice,” he highlights.

Political scientist Bruno Schaefer, a researcher at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), also states that the assets of these candidates may be in the name of the wife or husband. Another hypothesis is that the candidate has not declared all the assets or may have declared the asset with a value below reality.

“The asset declaration is a self-declaration, it does not have the same rigor as the income tax declaration, which is also a self-declaration. But the IRS has a much more efficient inspection system. So far there is no cross between Receita and TSE. For example, this candidate can declare that he has an equity of R $ 6 thousand, but we do not know how much he declared to the IRS, because the IRS data is confidential, ”he says.

More resources than equity

The candidate for councilor André Fraga (PV), who is standing in the elections in Salvador, donated R $ 45 thousand from his own pocket for the campaign. At the same time, Fraga claimed to have no assets. In a note, Fraga says that the money is the result of saving and planning to be a candidate in these elections.

“I do all my income statements regularly and the amount donated matches my savings. Since I have no assets, couldn’t I have saved or donated resources? I live in my parents’ house. I decided to be a candidate some time ago. I planned, saved and donated, ”he says.

The candidate Luís Sobral (PSD), who is seeking a seat in São Paulo, declared a net worth of R $ 6.7 thousand. However, he injected R $ 30 thousand from his own pocket into the campaign. The difference between the amounts is R $ 23.3 thousand.

The note sent by Sobral says: “The donation made to the campaign comes from my income, the result of my usual activity as an entrepreneur and consultant.” The candidate also affirms that the assets declared to the TSE is on December 31, 2019.

“After 20 years of public service, I have no accumulated assets, as shown in the statement presented. The same electoral legislation establishes a limit of 10% of the spending ceiling for councilor campaigns in the city of São Paulo. Under this rule, you could donate up to R $ 367 thousand. I donated R $ 30,000, which I saved throughout 2020 with a lot of effort. To suggest suspicions about this donation is an irreparable injustice, as well as a totally undue interference in the electoral dispute ”, the note says.

The candidate Ernane Aleixo (PSDB), who is running for re-election for the position of councilor in São João de Meriti (RJ), put R $ 23,200 of his own resources into the campaign. Aleixo said he had no assets. The candidate was located, but declined to comment.

The candidate Rhalessa de Clênio (PTB) is running for re-election to the Parnamirim City Council (RN) and said that she invested R $ 21,000 in the campaign itself. However, he told the TSE that he had no assets. In a note, Rhalessa’s attorney states that “the candidate has no assets, this being the purest and clearest truth.” The text also says that the amount of the donation is compatible with the income of the councilor. “Finally, it is worth mentioning that the donation is legal and is fully regulated by electoral regulations.”

The mayoral candidate André Gomes (PDT), who seeks to renew his mandate in Boa Vista (PB), injected R $ 21 thousand of his own resources into the campaign. He claimed to have no assets. In a note, Gomes says that the money comes from two sources: the mayor’s salary and also a loan of R $ 27.5 thousand made with Caixa Econômica.

How does campaign finance work under the current rules? The video below explains:

The candidate Júlio Pimenta (MDB), who is seeking the re-election of the Municipality of Ouro Preto (MG), donated R $ 50 thousand from his pocket for the campaign. According to the TSE, he declared that he had no capital. In a note, Pimenta’s publicist says that he has already requested that the data be corrected by the Electoral Tribunal and that he is waiting for the candidate’s assets to be updated. According to a file sent by the press office, Pimenta has a net worth of R $ 1.2 million.

“We clarified that, due to an error in the Candex system of the Superior Electoral Court, the declaration of assets of candidate Júlio Pimenta did not appear on the DivulgaCand home page. We have already requested that the information in the system be corrected, but there has still been no response from the Electoral Justice, ”the note says.

The candidate Demilson Nogueira (PP), who is running for councilor in Cuiabá, donated R $ 50 thousand to the campaign itself. According to the TSE, the declared assets of Nogueira is R $ 10,3 thousand. In a note, the candidate’s advisor says that he already asked the TSE to correct the data on September 26 and states that there was a “typographical error when entering the candidate’s data into the Candex system.” “The request for rectification has been made to the Electoral Justice, but it has not yet been modified.”

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS: Videos explain election rules and contested positions.