The first international flight of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) After his election to his third term – and before he took office – it cost him at least R$158,000 to the public treasury.
Lula traveled to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on November 14, two weeks after winning the second round of elections, to participate in the 27th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP27).COP27🇧🇷 Betista stayed three days in the African country and then flew to Portugal, where He met President Marcelo Rebelo de Souza and Prime Minister Antonio Costa.
During this period, no less than seven civil servants assigned to the presidency were sent to accompany Lula, according to a survey conducted by capital Cities Done on Transparency Portal.
R$68,242.76 was spent on daily rates, R$87,012.30 on tickets and R$3,250.87 on insurance.
Monitoring of security personnel is due to the legal requirements for ex-presidents and elected presidents set forth in Law No. 7474 of May 8, 1986.
In a memorandum, Lula’s advisor argued that the president-elect, even before taking office, had helped improve the image and international relations on matters of immediate importance to the country. He added that he “had meetings with the Chancellor of Germany, and authorities from the United States, China, Norway, Spain and the European Union, in addition to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.”
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Lula’s trip to COP27 was also marked by the “flight” he took on the plane of businessman Jose Serebiri Filho, better known as Junior, founder of Qualicorp, to go to Egypt and Portugal. The two have been friends for about 10 years.
The ride has been the target of criticism from the opposition and even from Labor allies. In his speech at COP27, Bolsonaro’s environment minister, Joaquim Leite, mentioned the politicians who used planes to go to the event.
Lula justified that he had “a friend who wants to go to the COP and he has a plane”.
“I went with him on a new plane, of good quality, and very safe, because it is important to remember that the elected president must take care of his safety, especially in a country where rabid Bolsonaristas are spread around the world. Safety is a serious thing and we are responsible for taking care of it,” he said.
“If the Brazilian state had been a democracy, and we had a responsible president, he might have offered the FAB plane to take me. But he didn’t. Patience. I’m grateful to my friend who went with me and lent me the plane,” Lula stated.
Oliver Ashford is a contributor to Mediarunsearch.co.uk, covering a broad range of topics including news, politics, business, technology, sport, entertainment and lifestyle. He focuses on delivering clear, balanced reporting that helps readers stay informed about current affairs and developments that matter. With an emphasis on accuracy, relevance and accessibility, Oliver aims to present useful information and engaging stories in a straightforward manner, making complex topics easier for readers to understand and follow.