Flávio Bolsonaro Recorded Asking Jailed Banker for $26.8m to Fund Film on Father

Recordings released on Wednesday show Senator Flávio Bolsonaro asking a banker who is in prison on corruption charges for 134 million reais ($26.8 million) to help finance a film about his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro. The voice memos and text messages were published by Intercept Brasil.

Flávio Bolsonaro, a far-right senator, later acknowledged the communications. He is tied in current polls with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ahead of Brazil’s October presidential election. The recordings were made before the banker’s arrest, although many accusations against him were already public.

In the messages Flávio Bolsonaro refers to the banker as “brother” and discusses the need to make payments to ensure production could continue. The banker suggested the dinner be held at his home. The banker, Daniel Vorcaro, was the majority shareholder in Master Bank.

He is accused of defrauding hundreds of thousands of the bank’s clients by promising returns far above market rates. Authorities estimate total losses at 60 billion reais. Vorcaro denies the allegations and is awaiting trial.

The release of the recordings has drawn criticism from some figures on the right. ” A conservative congressman suggested it might be better to replace Flávio Bolsonaro on the ticket with former President Jair Bolsonaro’s wife, Michelle. Flávio Bolsonaro announced his candidacy as his father’s political representative.

Former President Jair Bolsonaro is under house arrest after conviction over an attempted coup. The senator’s campaign had drawn level with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in polls before the recordings surfaced. An advertising executive hired to broker the deal told the newspaper O Globo that at least $12 million had been paid.

Documents submitted to tax authorities show that part of the funds was transferred to an intermediary company. The film’s production company and its executive producer denied that the project received any funds from Vorcaro or his bank. The budget discussed in the messages is higher than those of two recent Brazilian films that achieved international success.

The scandal has affected multiple sectors of Brazilian society including politics, and last week police accused a former senior member of Jair Bolsonaro’s cabinet of receiving bribes linked to the banker. That individual denies the allegations.