An NGO linked to the producer of Dark Horse, a planned biopic about former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, used money from a congressional budget amendment sponsored by federal deputy Mario Frias to pay a lawyer who had represented him, according to reports by Estadao and Poder360.
The case is part of a wider inquiry before Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF), where Justice Flavio Dino is examining whether public money from parliamentary amendments was diverted to finance the film. Frias, a Bolsonaro-allied lawmaker from the Liberal Party (PL) in Sao Paulo, is an executive producer and screenwriter on the project and a former culture secretary under Bolsonaro.
What the Reports Say
The disputed grant involved R$1 million, roughly USD 190,000 at recent exchange rates, sent to Instituto Conhecer Brasil (ICB), an NGO chaired by Karina Ferreira da Gama, who is also connected to Go Up Entertainment, the company producing Dark Horse. The earmark was filed in Brazil's 2024 federal budget, when each lawmaker could indicate R$37 million in individual amendments. Under Brazil's earmark system, members of Congress direct federal spending to projects, municipalities or organizations, with the executive branch responsible for releasing the funds.
Estadao reported that part of the money went to service providers linked to Frias, including his own lawyer, and to educational materials that local organizers in Pirassununga, a city in Sao Paulo state, said were never delivered. The reporting also described publicity contracts paid with the grant money.
Frias's Defense
Frias has denied that public money was diverted to the film. According to UOL, he said there is no evidence that the amendments under scrutiny were used for any film production. The dispute remains under examination at the Supreme Court, and no final finding of wrongdoing has been made.
The earmark inquiry runs parallel to a separate investigation by Sao Paulo state police and prosecutors into a municipal Wi-Fi contract held by the same NGO, which examines whether city funds also reached the production.