Corruption probe targets Brazil presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro

Revelations that Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro is under investigation for alleged corruption and money laundering rocked his right-wing campaign Friday, weeks before elections.

Bolsonaro, the son of former leader Jair Bolsonaro, is vying for the presidency against leftist incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the October ballot.

A newly released court document revealed that police have been investigating Flavio Bolsonaro since July regarding possible crimes "in the context of financing the production" of a forthcoming film about his father.

Police conducted dozens of raids Thursday over the alleged embezzlement of public funds by the company that produced the flattering biopic.

"Dark Horse" -- starring US actor Jim Caviezel as Jair Bolsonaro -- has been under scrutiny as part of a widening corruption scandal that has loomed over the election.

"I have nothing to hide. The film is completely legal," Flavio Bolsonaro said at a campaign event on Friday.

An investigation of this kind does not prevent someone from running for office in Brazil.

Voters in Latin America's largest economy head to the polls on October 4, deeply polarized and with a weary sense of deja vu as Lula takes on Bolsonaro.

The 45-year-old senator Flavio Bolsonaro was thrust into the electoral race after his father was jailed for attempting a coup in 2022.

He has styled himself as a "more moderate" version of his firebrand father.

The right-wing candidate has vowed to "rescue" Brazil from corruption, crime, high food prices and soaring public debt. His speeches are woven through with references to "God, country, family and freedom."

He has also pledged a heavy hand on crime, which polls show is voters' main concern.

While Lula has promised to prioritize the fight against organized crime, his challenger blames him for not taking violence seriously enough.

Bolsonaro's campaign has been hit by disclosures that he approached notorious fraud-accused banker Daniel Vorcaro -- head of the collapsed private bank Banco Master -- for money, which Bolsonaro said was to finance "Dark Horse."

According to court documents obtained by AFP, investigators believe Flavio Bolsonaro personally met with Vorcaro and discussed the film's financing with him on several occasions.

The documents also point to the transfer of $12.3 million from a company indirectly linked to Vorcaro to another tied to an attorney for Eduardo Bolsonaro, Flavio's younger brother.

A police source told AFP that the targets of Thursday's raids included Karina Gama, head of the company that produced "Dark Horse," and Mario Frias, a pro-Bolsonaro congressman listed as the film's executive producer.

Both have been banned from leaving Brazil pending the investigation's outcome. Frias has said he is innocent, denouncing the "smoke screen" probe.

Police officials said the money came from parliamentary funds available to lawmakers to finance special projects, usually in their electoral strongholds.

Vorcaro's alleged interactions with Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes, whom he apparently asked for legal help days before his arrest, have meanwhile triggered a crisis in Brazil's top court.

"The impact of corruption scandals is much greater for Lula's campaign than for Flavio's," said political scientist Mayra Goulart from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

However, new evidence against Bolsonaro closer to the election could influence "voters whose choice is less clearly defined," she told AFP.

Lula was imprisoned for 580 days on corruption charges in 2018 and 2019, but his conviction was later overturned.

He and Flavio Bolsonaro are neck-and-neck in voting intentions ahead of the first round.

If, as expected, no one wins an outright majority, a runoff will be held on October 25.