Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Andre Mendonca has approved a federal police request to investigate Fabio Luis Lula da Silva - widely known as "Lulinha" - over claims he may have improperly assisted a lobbyist in interactions with the health ministry, two sources with direct knowledge of the decision said.
Federal police sought authorization last week to open the case against Fabio Luis on allegations of influence peddling and corruption on behalf of Antonio Carlos Camilo Antunes in matters involving the ministry. One of the central lines of inquiry is whether Lulinha helped secure access for Antunes' businesses to officials at the health ministry in relation to a government arrangement concerning a cannabidiol-based medication, according to one of the sources.
A federal police source said the investigation into Fabio Luis has not yet been formally opened. Legal representatives for Fabio Luis did not immediately answer requests for comment, and Antunes' lawyers could not be reached right away, according to the reporting.
Mendonca previously granted federal police authorization earlier this year to investigate Lulinha on separate allegations that he received improper payments connected to a scheme of irregular deductions from pensions administered by Brazil's National Social Security Institute (INSS). That earlier inquiry likewise involved Antunes.
The matter has drawn public attention beyond law enforcement filings. Asked about his son in a February interview with the news outlet UOL, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he had confronted Fabio Luis concerning the INSS case. "If you’ve done something wrong, you’ll pay the price for it. If you haven’t, defend yourself," Lula told UOL.
At this stage, federal police authorization from the Supreme Court allows investigators to proceed with gathering evidence and conducting inquiries related to the allegations tied to both the health ministry contacts and the pension deductions matter. The authorization does not equate to a formal charge or an opened criminal investigation in the public record, according to a federal police source.
Key actors named in the authorizations include Justice Andre Mendonca, Fabio Luis Lula da Silva - who is the president's son - and Antonio Carlos Camilo Antunes, the lobbyist whose businesses are at the center of the health ministry-related line of inquiry.