Brazilian businesswoman and lobbyist Roberta Luchsinger said on Sunday she has documentary evidence to support her allegations against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his son, Luis Cláudio Lula da Silva, known as Lulinha. In an Instagram post, Luchsinger stated that her televised interview the previous day disclosed "not even 1%" of what she knows.
Luchsinger told CNN Brasil on Saturday that Lula had acted in a "scoundrel" manner by calling her a "pilantra" — a Portuguese term for swindler or crook — and suggested the president might be "senile." She also said Lula lied when he claimed Lulinha had never met with government ministers. Luchsinger declared she intends to seek a plea-bargain agreement (delação premiada) with prosecutors.
In her Sunday post, Luchsinger explained she withheld further details because three investigations are currently underway under judicial secrecy. "Everything I said is in the inquiries. I'm not crazy. I spoke because I am armed with proof," she wrote, adding that she does not wish to create turmoil but will not "keep taking hits silently."
Presidential palace denies all allegations
The Secretariat of Social Communication of the Presidency issued a statement saying Lula "does not know the facts reported by Ms. Roberta Luchsinger" and "never maintained any interlocution with her, never received her demands, and has no knowledge of alleged dealings such as those mentioned." The statement also noted there is no federal government contract with Luchsinger.
The Planalto Palace — the seat of Brazil's executive branch — questioned the timing of the accusations, which come days before the second round of the 2026 presidential election. "It causes strangeness that these declarations are launched just on the eve of the runoff. Brazil has already witnessed in other electoral processes the disclosure of unproven accusations used as instruments of public opinion manipulation," the statement read, calling it an "irresponsible attempt to disrupt the democratic process and interfere in the free choice of voters."
Background of the investigations
The allegations sit within a broader set of probes involving Lulinha and his associates. Since August 2026, Brazilian media have reported on Federal Police investigations into possible influence-peddling schemes, including alleged monthly payments from a figure known as "Careca do INSS" to Lulinha, a proposed R$ 1 billion contract negotiation, and messages exchanged between Lulinha and Luchsinger discussing moving assets abroad. The Federal Police have also examined a contract for cannabidiol sales sent by Luchsinger to Marcos Willians Herbas Camacho, known as Marcola, a leader of the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) criminal organization.
Supreme Federal Court (STF) Justice Flávio Dino is the rapporteur for a third inquiry into Lulinha at the court. The Prosecutor General's Office (PGR) has requested that Lulinha's case be moved from the STF to a lower court. In August, the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) ordered the removal of a post by Senator Flávio Bolsonaro referencing alleged payments to Lulinha.
Lula has repeatedly denied knowledge of any wrongdoing by his son and said he will not interfere in the investigations. In August, he told TV Globo that suspicions against Lulinha were "speculations" and defended Marcola, asking "who never asked for a loan from a friend?"