Lira’s son’s company negotiates advertising with ministries and public banks

A company that has among its partners Arthur Lira Filho, 23 years old, son of the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), intermediated advertising deals in the main agencies of the federal government and in public banks, informs the newspaper Folha of S.Paulo.

According to the publication, media vehicles represented by the company, called Omnia 360, received payments to distribute campaigns by the Secretariat of Social Communication (Secom), the ministries of Health and Education, Banco do Brasil and Caixa.

In addition to Arthur Lira Filho, Maria Cavalcante, 25, daughter of Luciano Cavalcante, former adviser to Lira who was the target of an operation by the Federal Police on deviations in the purchase of robotics kits, is listed as a partner in the company. The publicist Ana Magalhães also appears in the corporate structure.

According to Folha, media companies represented by Omnia received around BRL 6.5 million from the Ministry of Health alone. To the newspaper, the folder informed that the payments were made to the companies OPL Digital and RZK Digital, both clients of Lira Filho, according to the publication.

The same companies would have received around BRL 2 million from Secom – BRL 1.42 million paid to OPL, and BRL 594,000 to RZK. Part of the amounts were disbursed between 2021, in the management of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), and the rest in 2023, already in the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT). OPL also received R$ 114,000 in media campaigns from the Ministry of Education.

Both companies are on the list of paid vehicles in Banco do Brasil and Caixa campaigns in 2022, although the institutions have not detailed the amount disbursed.

According to Folha, Omnia receives a portion of the payment made by agencies contracted by the government and public banks for media outlets. OPL stated that Omnia receives 15% of the net amounts traded with government agencies.

Questioned by the newspaper about the negotiations in various public bodies, Omnia said that the commercial representation activity “consists precisely in promoting the represented products to the trade of its sector”.

“It is part of Omnia 360’s activities to hold meetings at advertising agencies and present news and technical details to advertisers. Something commonplace in public and private advertising market activities”, stated the company.

OPL said it is present in customer campaigns from different sectors, while RZK was sought and did not manifest itself.

To Folha, the president of the Chamber sent a note in which he says that “there is nothing wrong with the functional development of my son’s company, much less my interference in his business activity”.

Secom and the ministries of Education and Social Development did not comment. BB said it does not maintain a contract with Omnia’s clients, as the purchase of advertising space would be done by the agencies. Caixa already stated, in a note, that the details of commercial advertising negotiations are considered strategic and receive secrecy.