Lula Addresses Investigations Into Former Chief of Staff and Son

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated in an interview with Jornal Nacional that it was totally wrong for his former chief of staff, Marco Aurélio Santana Ribeiro, known as Marcola, to receive resources from lobbyist Roberta Luchsinger. The Federal Police are investigating Luchsinger and the president's son, Fábio Luís Lula da Silva, known as Lulinha, for suspected influence peddling. Specifically, investigators suspect Luchsinger sought Marcola's help to accelerate the sale of dengue test kits and canabidiol products to the Ministry of Health. The Federal Police identified that Luchsinger paid approximately 217,000 reais for Marcola's personal expenses, including credit card bills and a vehicle. Marcola has denied any professional mediation and claims the total sum of 249,000 reais was a strictly private loan that has been repaid. Lula stated that while he currently believes the money was a loan, Marcola committed an error and must pay the price for it. Regarding his son, Lula defended Lulinha by stating that there is currently no proof of diverted public funds or conversations with ministers, though he added that Lulinha would have to pay if any illegal act were proven. During the interview, Lula referred to Luchsinger as a pilantra, a term that reportedly surprised his own campaign staff. He also claimed he had never met Luchsinger, a statement that some reports noted contradicted existing social media photos of the two together.