Lira trips cost BRL 4.8 million in 2022. You paid the bill

The trips of the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), in Brazilian Air Force (FAB) jets cost R$ 3.2 million in 2022. Only the round trips to his home, in Maceió , amounted to R$ 2 million – 63% of the total. There were also expenses with per diems and tickets for the president’s security guards and advisors, totaling R$ 1.6 million. The taxpayer account closed at R$ 4.8 million. With the support of President Lula, Lira was re-elected to the Presidency of the Chamber this Wednesday (1st). More upfront expenses.

There were 138 trips last year, 86 of which were home. Two trips to New York, always by jet, cost R$621,000. Lira was in the delegation that participated in the Opening of the General Debate of the Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, in New York (USA), from September 17th to 20th. He left Maceió for Bridgtown (Barbados) in a “white plate” aircraft at 3 pm on a Saturday. In the early hours of Wednesday (21), on the way back from the international trip, the official jet left the president at home.

The 18 hours of travel on the jet cost R$202,000. But there were also expenses with per diems and tickets for the diplomatic advisor and two security guards, in the amount of R$ 46,000. In all, the trip to New York cost R$ 248,000. Each day cost R$ 3,000 – or five Bolsa Família benefits. The diplomatic advisor recorded that his accommodation in New York was funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Banquets and World Cup

At the end of November, Lira participated, in Doha (Qatar), in the meeting with the heads of parliaments of countries in North Africa and the Middle East. Coincidentally, in those days, in that same place, the Soccer World Cup was taking place. Lira traveled at the invitation of the President of the Parliament of Qatar. On the 27th, he watched the match between Spain and Germany. The Chamber did not say who paid for the tickets. The Chamber’s diplomatic advisor received BRL 13,000 in per diems and had his tickets paid for by the Parliament of Qatar, the Shura.

The president of the Chamber had already been to the United States, in June, when he participated in the Summit of the Americas, in Los Angeles, and in the inauguration of the vice-consulate of Brazil in Orlando, Florida. He didn’t use a jet on that trip, but the daily rates and tickets for the servers added up to R$ 57,000.

In May, in New York, he was at the “Person of de year” gala dinner, promoted by the Brazil-USA Chamber of Commerce, at the “Brasil Banquet” gala dinner, at the Isso Data Agro conference, and spoke at the “Brazil & the World Economy”, where he spoke of the importance of the debate on semi-presidentialism. The FAB jet trip cost R$ 230,000. The trip for the security guards and the diplomatic advisor cost another R$143,000, bringing the total to R$372,000. Each day cost R$ 2,800.

Jets during the election campaign

The president of the Chamber made extensive use of FAB jets during the official period of the electoral campaign. There were 16 round trips to Maceió from August 16th to October 30th. He boarded “his” jet, from Brasilia or other capitals, and headed for Maceió. From there, he left by car for cities in the interior. On August 27, he posted on social media: “Marechal Deodoro is on top of us! I started my Saturday the way I like it: among the people”.

On Fatherland Day, in Maceió, he said: “September 7 is a very important day for us who defend Alagoas, Brazil and democracy”. On flags fluttering in the background, the face of then-President Jair Bolsonaro. Two days later, in Palmeira dos Índios, he exclaimed: “What an incredible night! Yesterday, at the invitation of councillors, we discussed projects and improvements for the region. We ended the night with a large motorcade in Minador do Negrão, where I was surprised by the energy and vibrancy of the population”.

On September 10, in Flexeiras, he commented: “Yesterday, we had a beautiful party! First, in Flexeiras, motorcade met. Afterwards, I received the affection of the people of Muric, who want change this year and vote with us”. He was talking about the election in Alagoas. He lost.

Still in the pre-campaign, on April 7, a Thursday, Lira took off from Brasilia at 8 am to Paulo Afonso (BA). From there, she drove to Pariconha (AL), 50km away, to celebrate the 30 years of emancipation of the municipality. At 4 pm, she headed for Maceió, still on the official jet, where she participated in the inauguration of the Rota do Mar, which connects a residential complex to the North Coast of Alagoas.

In March, Lira participated in a campaign to join the PP in three states in just two days, always on the wings of the FAB. On the 11th, Friday, she took off from Maceió to Vitória at 8 am. She participated in the affiliation of federal and state deputies and mayors to the PP. He was accompanied by the acting president of the party, Cláudio Cajado, and the leader of the party in the Chamber, André Fufuca. At 4 pm, he headed for Palmas, where he participated in the affiliation of Deputy Vicentinho Júnior, with political leaders of the state. He left Palmas for Curitiba at 11:30 pm, on the official jet.

On Saturday, it honored the affiliation of federal and state deputies, mayors and athletes from Paraná, including former MMA champion Wanderlei Silva. The Chief Minister of the Civil House, Ciro Nogueira; the leader of the Bolsonaro government in the Chamber, Ricardo Barros (PP-PR); and Governor Ratinho Jr. Lira left for São Paulo in the early afternoon. The expenses for the joint effort with the jet reached R$ 80,000.