Careca do INSS Scandal Reaches Lula’s Inner Circle as PF Targets Lulinha

Politics: Brazil

A lobbying investigation tied to alleged fraud in Brazil’s social security system has edged closer to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s inner circle, with a Supreme Court justice now assigned to weigh a third Federal Police request to investigate the president’s son.

What the PF is investigating

Brazil’s Federal Police (PF) has requested Supreme Court authorization for a third inquiry into Fábio Luís Lula da Silva, known as “Lulinha,” the eldest son of President Lula, over suspected influence peddling, according to Folha de S.Paulo/UOL and O Globo. The request, reported on August 3, 2026, would add to two inquiries the PF already opened against him in the same week.

Justice André Mendonça authorized the first two inquiries: one on July 30, tied to alleged favors for lobbyist Antônio Carlos Camilo Antunes in dealings with the Health Ministry, and a second on July 31, concerning Lulinha’s alleged influence over contracts at Dataprev, the public technology company that manages federal social-security data, per O Globo and G1. The PF has said these inquiries do not concern the underlying INSS benefit-deduction fraud itself, but separate suspicions of influence peddling and corruption connected to it.

The newest request centers on 3Structure IT Ltda, a technology company holding federal contracts worth R$55.7 million, including one contract with a ministry tied to social welfare running through 2031, according to CNN Brasil and Estado de Minas. Unlike the earlier two, the PF asked for this request to be freely distributed rather than assigned to Mendonça, according to VEJA. Estado de Minas has noted the inquiry remains preliminary, with no solid evidence of any crime presented so far.

The Careca do INSS scheme

At the center of the broader case is Antônio Carlos Camilo Antunes, widely known in Brazilian media as “Careca do INSS.” Investigators describe him as one of the main operators of a scheme involving unauthorized deductions from retirement and pension benefits administered by Brazil’s National Social Security Institute (INSS), examined in the Federal Police’s Operação Sem Desconto (“Operation No Discount”), according to G1. He has been in custody since September 12, 2025, per Poder360.

The INSS-fraud investigation became public in April 2025 and was also examined by a mixed parliamentary inquiry committee, the CPMI do INSS, according to G1. Separately from the benefit-deduction case, Antunes attempted between 2024 and 2025 to secure a federal contract to supply cannabidiol-based medication to the government through the Health Ministry; that contract was never signed, per G1’s reporting.

Businesswoman Roberta Luchsinger, described as a well-known figure in Brasília political circles, provided services to Antunes and is also a close friend of Lulinha, according to Poder360 and G1. Reuters has reported that investigators are examining whether Lulinha helped Antunes gain access to Health Ministry officials in connection with the cannabidiol deal.

The link to Lula’s former chief of staff

Poder360 reported on August 4, 2026, that Roberta Luchsinger made money transfers to Marco Aurélio Santana Ribeiro, known as “Marcola,” who served as Lula’s chief of staff at the Planalto Palace from January 2023 until Lula dismissed him on July 21, 2026. Marcola was described by Poder360 as a long-trusted aide responsible for organizing the president’s schedule.

According to Poder360, the exact total and frequency of the transfers were not established; the outlet said they were “in the tens of thousands of reais,” with unconfirmed sourcing putting the amount around R$80,000. Complete transfer data is reportedly held by the Federal Police. After the report was published, Marcola confirmed the transfers but said they represented a personal loan that had already been fully repaid: “I was surprised by the article that treats a personal loan taken out and already paid off as something illegal. I have never had any relationship that could characterize any illegality in the exercise of my duties,” he said, as quoted by Poder360.

Roberta Luchsinger’s lawyer, Roberto Podval, said she had not yet had access to the case records and would address the matter within the investigation itself: “Out of respect for Minister André Mendonça himself, we will answer all questions in the records of the investigation, which, up to now, we have still not had access to,” he told Poder360. Poder360 also reported that the story had been circulating among political circles in Brasília in the two weeks before publication, and was discussed informally by Workers’ Party (PT) members during Lula’s reelection-launch convention on August 1, 2026, amid concern that renewed corruption allegations could affect the campaign.

The request against “Lulinha”

The PF’s third request, filed with the STF, seeks to open an investigation “to look into suspicions of influence peddling” against Lulinha, according to Folha de S.Paulo/UOL. The court’s electronic distribution system drew Justice Flávio Dino, who was appointed to the Supreme Court by Lula in December 2023, as rapporteur of the request, according to Valor/Globo, reported August 3–4, 2026. It will fall to Dino to decide whether to formally open the inquiry.

Dino has previously ruled on matters touching Lulinha and Luchsinger: in March 2026, he suspended a CPMI do INSS vote that had broken their banking and tax secrecy in a single block vote covering 87 requests, finding that procedure unconstitutional, according to G1 and Agência Brasil. That ruling did not affect a separate secrecy waiver already ordered within the PF inquiry under Mendonça’s oversight.

Lulinha’s lawyer, Marco Aurélio de Carvalho, has repeatedly rejected the allegations across all three requests. On the health-related inquiry, he said the PF “found nothing” in the INSS case and was now “fishing” elsewhere, calling it “pesca probatória” — a fishing expedition, according to G1. On the third request, he said the PF was creating “a kind of ‘best of three.’ A joke,” according to Brado Jornal, adding that Lulinha felt “tranquilo e sereno” but “perplexo” — calm but perplexed — and that “he doesn’t want to be above the law, but cannot allow himself to be treated as if he were below it,” per NN1. Lulinha, who lives in Madrid, is described by his defense as available to testify before Brazilian courts if required, according to O Globo.

Political fallout for the government

President Lula has addressed the investigations into his son publicly, though not the specific report about transfers to his former chief of staff. In a July 30, 2026, interview on the “Inteligência Ltda.” podcast, cited by O Globo, Reuters and CNN Brasil, Lula said: “There will be no privilege whatsoever (…) If he is to be tried, he will come here. He is not going to hide. I will not use my position to protect him.” He added that if his son were found guilty, “he will have to pay like everyone else.”

Within the Workers’ Party, reactions have been mixed. Federal deputy Reginaldo Lopes downplayed the probes as an “electoral invention,” pointing instead to separate investigations involving members of the Bolsonaro family, according to G1. Other PT figures reportedly acknowledged privately that the allegations, following Lula’s reelection-launch convention, carry some risk for the campaign narrative on corruption, per Poder360.

Folha de S.Paulo has also reported rising friction between the PF and Justice Mendonça, who has pressed the police to speed up analysis of material seized in Operação Sem Desconto — around 1,700 items, of which the PF said roughly 40% had been reviewed as of early August, citing a shortage of personnel. No inquiry against Lulinha has resulted in formal charges; all three matters remain at the investigative stage, and Brazilian authorities and the individuals named have not been found to have committed any crime.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is “Careca do INSS”?

“Careca do INSS” is the nickname of Antônio Carlos Camilo Antunes, a businessman and lobbyist identified by Brazil’s Federal Police as one of the main operators of an alleged scheme of unauthorized deductions from retirement and pension benefits, examined in Operação Sem Desconto. He has been in custody since September 12, 2025, according to Poder360.

Is President Lula personally under investigation?

No reporting reviewed indicates that President Lula himself is a target of these inquiries. The investigations concern his son, Fábio Luís Lula da Silva (“Lulinha”), and separately involve his former chief of staff, Marco Aurélio Santana Ribeiro, over a reported personal loan he says has been repaid. Lula has said he will not use his office to shield his son and that any wrongdoing must be proven through due process, according to O Globo and Reuters.

What happens next in the case assigned to Justice Dino?

Justice Flávio Dino, drawn as rapporteur on August 3–4, 2026, must decide whether to formally authorize the Federal Police’s third inquiry request into Lulinha, which concerns alleged influence peddling linked to a technology company’s federal contracts, according to Valor/Globo. No decision had been announced as of this report.

Sources: Poder360 (https://www.poder360.com.br/poder-governo/lobista-de-careca-do-inss-mandou-dinheiro-para-assessor-de-lula/); G1/Globo (https://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/2026/07/31/pf-abre-inquerito-contra-lulinha-entenda-o-que-esta-sendo-investigado.ghtml); Folha de S.Paulo/UOL (https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2026/08/pf-pede-ao-stf-abertura-de-3o-inquerito-contra-lulinha-sob-suspeita-de-trafico-de-influencia.shtml); O Globo (https://oglobo.globo.com/politica/noticia/2026/08/03/pf-pede-ao-stf-abertura-de-terceira-inquerito-contra-lulinha-e-defesa-diz-que-ele-pode-vir-ao-brasil-para-depor.ghtml); Valor/Globo (https://valor.globo.com/politica/noticia/2026/08/03/dino-sorteado-relator-do-terceiro-pedido-de-inqurito-contra-lulinha-no-stf.ghtml); Reuters (https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/brazilian-supreme-court-justice-authorizes-investigation-into-presidents-son-2026-07-30/); CNN Brasil (https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/blogs/elijonasmaia/politica/empresa-que-lulinha-fez-lobby-tem-acordos-de-r-55-milhoes-com-governo-lula/); Estado de Minas (https://www.em.com.br/politica/2026/08/7473010-policia-federal-pede-abertura-de-terceiro-inquerito-contra-lulinha.html).

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