Hugo Motta spent R$ 110 of the Party Fund on a private jet to attend a birthday party.

247 - The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Hugo Motta (Republicanos-PB), used R$ 110 of public money to charter a private jet to Belém (PA), where he attended the 80th birthday party of Senator Jader Barbalho (MDB-PA), held on October 26, 2024, a Saturday. 

According to Tácio Lorran, from MetropolisThe congressman boarded a plane in Brasília at 11:15 AM and landed in Belém to attend the event. He returned to the federal capital on the same day at 16:15 PM. The flight report indicates that he was the only passenger on the aircraft, the cost of which was entirely covered by the Republicanos party using funds from the Party Fund—resources that, by law, must be allocated to administrative and maintenance expenses of political parties.

At the time of the trip, Hugo Motta was in the midst of his campaign to be elected president of the Chamber of Deputies. The party hosted by Jader Barbalho also included the presence of other central figures in national politics, such as the then president of the Chamber, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), and Senator Ciro Nogueira (PP-PI), from the same party.

The use of public funds to pay for a trip to a private event contrasts with the congressman's discourse, in which he has demanded fiscal responsibility from the federal government and advocated for reducing public spending. In June of this year, as also reported by Metrópoles, Hugo Motta spent R$ 27 on a dinner offered to about 30 parliamentarians, with an average cost of R$ 904 per guest.

Congressman denies misuse of public funds. Sought for comment on the case, Hugo Motta's office denied any illegality in the use of party funds for the trip to Belém. In a statement, it said:

"The payment was made in a regular manner, in accordance with current legislation and the party's internal rules, and there were no irregularities or improprieties in the procedures followed."