President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Friday (28) that he has no relationship with businesswoman and lobbyist Roberta Luchsinger and has never had any dealings with her. The statement came in a note released by his reelection campaign after photos of the two together circulated on social media.
According to the statement, reproduced by G1 and InfoMoney, the photographic records do not indicate a bond of any kind:
"President Lula is a public figure who, throughout his career and especially during campaigns and public events, is approached by countless people for photographs. The existence of these records does not mean a personal, professional or political relationship. Lula has no relationship with Roberta Luchsinger and has never had any interlocution with her."
The note reaffirms what Lula said on Thursday in an interview with TV Globo's Jornal Nacional. Asked about the businesswoman, the president denied knowing her. "I do not know this woman, I have never seen this woman in my life, I have never spoken to this woman, she has never been close to me," he said.
Right after the interview, the opposition began to seize on the issue and publish images of Lula next to Roberta, originally posted by the businesswoman herself on her social media accounts, according to InfoMoney. A check by Fato ou Fake, G1's fact-checking team, found at least three photographs and one video showing the two together on different occasions.
Federal Police investigation
Roberta Luchsinger is a friend of Fábio Luís Lula da Silva, known as Lulinha, the president's eldest son. She is under investigation by the Federal Police in the inquiry into illegal deductions from pensions and retirement benefits paid by the INSS, Brazil's social security institute. According to G1, investigators identified transfers from the businesswoman to Marco Aurélio Santana, known as Marcola, then chief of staff at the Presidency, as well as a draft contract to sell cannabidiol-based medicines to the Health Ministry. InfoMoney reports that Roberta and Lulinha are being investigated on suspicion of influence peddling in the government.
The Federal Police inquiry into the INSS fraud remains open, with no deadline announced for its conclusion. On the campaign trail, the opposition has made clear it intends to keep the issue alive, while Lula's team argues the photos are part of the routine of a public figure at open events.