Desk Report,
Brazilian football chief’s office and home searched over vote-buying allegations in municipal elections
(Black Box) has been launched by the country’s police. ESPN Brazil reported that Samir Saud, the president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), is one of the suspects in the investigation.
Brazilian football chief’s office and home searched over vote-buying allegations in municipal elections
Brazilian police are investigating allegations of vote buying in the 2024 Roraima municipal elections. Federal deputy Helena Lima is at the center of the investigation, which began last year. Her husband and businessman Reinaldo Lima was arrested with 500,000 Brazilian reais before the municipal elections in Roraima. Saud is an associate of Helena Lima and they are members of the same political party (MDB). Samir Saud, Helena Lima, Reinaldo Lima and Igo Brasil, the superintendent of Roraima’s communications infrastructure (DNIT), are the targets of the operation. In addition to the CBF headquarters, the police also raided Saud’s home.
The CBF confirmed that “the police arrived at the headquarters between 6:24 and 6:52 a.m. and that the operation is part of an investigation ordered by the Roraima Electoral Court.” The CBF also confirmed that “the operation has nothing to do with the CBF or Brazilian football.” The CBF also stated that “President Samir Saud is not the focus of the investigation.”
Police issued search warrants for a total of 10 people in Roraima and Rio de Janeiro. The electoral court also ordered the seizure of a total of 10 million Brazilian reais from all suspects involved in the investigation. Saud, 41, became president of the CBF in May this year. His father, Zeca Saud, was elected president of the Roraima Football Federation for the 14th consecutive term in 2023. Brazilian media outlet Globo contacted Samir Saud, Reinaldo Lima and Helena Lima for comment.
The CBF president, a physician by profession, ran for federal deputy in the 2022 elections in Roraima. But he was chosen as an alternative to Helena Lima. Saud is the eighth and youngest president in the history of the CBF.
