STF Authorizes New PF Probe Into Lulinha Over Dataprev Influence

Overview

• On Friday July 31, 2026, Supreme Court minister André Mendonça authorized a Polícia Federal inquérito to probe Fábio Luís Lula da Silva (Lulinha) for alleged tráfico de influência linked to Dataprev, the federal IT company that runs social-security data.
• The Polícia Federal requested the separate Dataprev inquiry after tracing leads from the Operation Sem Desconto probe to businessman Cléber Ribas and noting a shared flight booking on December 15, 2024 that investigators say indicates Ribas paid Lulinha’s travel costs.
• Investigators are also examining intermediaries and payments, including R$1.5 million transfers involving Antônio Camilo Antunes and Roberta Luchsinger, to determine whether funds or favors helped open government contracts.
• An institutional clash has grown after Mendonça ordered the PF to hand over raw materials and seek his preauthorization for team changes, prompting the PF to consult the Advocacia-Geral da União about those restrictions.
• The case followed a PGR opinion favoring free distribution of the PF representation and an electronic sorteio that again assigned Mendonça as relator, and the defense calls the probes ‘pesca probatória’ while authorities stress the need to follow the evidence.