Brazil electoral prosecutors push fine on poll institute and defend media reports on governor's alleged dinner

The Federal Public Ministry (MPF) asked the Alagoas Regional Electoral Court to impose the maximum penalty on the Instituto TDL and to open a criminal investigation after finding strong indications that the institute falsified information about the financing of a recently published opinion poll. The poll, registered under number AL‑04608/2026, listed RB Dantas Ltda as the contracting party for a R$ 47,000 payment, which the company publicly denied, stating the invoice was issued without its authorization. Lacking documentation to prove the source of the funds, the MPF requested the court declare the poll invalid, apply the maximum fine and refer the matter for further investigation.

Separately, the Regional Electoral Prosecutor's Office in Mato Grosso issued an opinion rejecting a request from the União Progressista Federation to block five news reports that alleged a dinner in New York between former governor Mauro Mendes and ex‑banker Daniel Vorcaro. The prosecutor argued that the publications do not constitute an attack on personal honour but are an exercise of "animus criticandi" about a public official's conduct, especially since an investigation by the Superior Tribunal of Justice into alleged favouritism of Vorcaro’s bank is already underway. The decision emphasizes the protection of journalistic freedom when factual investigations exist.