Marco Aurélio Santana Ribeiro quits Lula re‑election campaign after PF payment probe
Marco Aurélio Santana Ribeiro, known as “Marcola” and former chief of staff to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, asked to leave the president’s re‑election campaign on 5 August 2026. The request came after the Federal Police opened an inquiry that uncovered a R$ 249,000 transfer from lobbyist Roberta Luchsinger, a close associate of Lula’s son Fábio Luís Lula da Silva (Lulinha). Ribeiro said the money was a private loan that he has fully repaid and made his bank and tax records available to the justice system. Lula publicly expressed trust in Ribeiro and said he was unaware of the payment before it became known. The investigation is examining possible passive corruption and influence‑peddling involving Ribeiro, Luchsinger and Lulinha. Ribeiro’s departure is intended to prevent further damage to the campaign’s image as the scandal gains media attention.
Entities: Edinho Silva · Federal Police of Brazil · Fábio Luís Lula da Silva · Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva · Marco Aurélio Santana Ribeiro · Marco Aurélio Santana Ribeiro (Marcola) · Polícia Federal (Federal Police) · Roberta Luchsinger
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 2 SOURCES] Marcola left Lula's re‑election campaign on 5 May 2024. (Campaign announcement and news reports)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Marcola informed PT president Edinho Silva and Lula of his decision to leave the campaign. (Marcola)
- [● 5 SOURCES] Marcola received a payment of R$ 249,000 from lobbyist Roberta Luchsinger. (Marcola)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Lula expressed trust in Marcola and said he was unaware of the payment before it surfaced. (Lula)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The Federal Police opened an investigation into the payment. (Federal Police)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The investigation includes possible passive corruption and influence‑peddling. (Federal Police)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Marcola described the payment as a personal loan that has been repaid. (Marcola)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Legal experts note that a private loan is lawful but its circumstances must be examined for illicit advantage. (Legal experts)