Nine parties have distributed at least R$ 21.6 million in public money, in this year's elections, to the campaigns of 20 candidates whom Brazil's electoral prosecutors or regional electoral courts have linked to organized crime. The figure comes from an investigation by Folha de S.Paulo published on September 28, which matched court rulings against campaign finance filings in DivulgaCand, the official platform of the electoral judiciary. The data was collected through September 22.
According to Folha, the money went to candidates described as representatives of criminal factions, militias, the illegal numbers game known as jogo do bicho, local groups and the so-called "milícia de gravata", literally "tie militia", a category created by the electoral court of Rio de Janeiro to cover people involved in organized fraud against public coffers. União Brasil accounts for five of the 20 cases. MDB and PRD have three each; PP, PSDB and Podemos have two each; Avante, PT and Republicanos have one each.
What is settled and what can still change
The transfers are a matter of public record. The alleged crime ties still await a final ruling: the candidacy registrations were denied at first instance and can be appealed to the TSE, Brazil's top electoral court, and while the appeals are pending the candidates are allowed to keep campaigning and spending the money. Some of those named reject the accusations. One of them is Filipe Pereira of Podemos, a candidate for federal deputy in Rio whose registration was denied by the state's electoral court. In a statement published by G1, he said:
"I state that I am not answering any criminal or electoral case, nor do I have any final conviction. I trust the justice system and due process. I remain eligible until a final ruling and I continue my campaign as normal."
Rio and the "tie militia"
Rio de Janeiro state has the largest share of the country's rejections. On September 14, the regional electoral court (TRE-RJ) denied 15 candidacies over suspected ties to criminal organizations, including those of former congresswoman Cristiane Brasil and of Pastor Everaldo of Podemos, G1 reported. By a 4-3 vote, the court broadened its definition of criminal organization to include the "tie militia": groups that, without openly displaying weapons, infiltrate the executive and legislative branches and use the state apparatus to control contracts and rig public bids. In the same session, the court moved 72 polling places located in areas controlled or disputed by the Comando Vermelho, the Terceiro Comando Puro, militias and the Amigos dos Amigos faction, affecting more than 200,000 voters.
Folha reports that the TRE-RJ has been sending rejected candidacies to the prosecutor's office to determine whether the parties bear responsibility for nominating them. The move follows recommendations from the electoral courts and electoral prosecutors demanding that parties take steps to keep organized crime out of politics. Some parties dispute that such screening is their job and say they lack the means to do it. The defense of Paulo Melo of União Brasil, another barred candidate, said it received the court's decision with indignation.
Campaign financing in Brazil is mostly public. The special campaign fund, distributed only in election years, was set at R$ 4.96 billion for 2026, and the year-round party fund adds R$ 1.43 billion this year. The R$ 21.6 million that reached the 20 candidates equals roughly 0.4 percent of the campaign fund. Before voting, readers can check on the DivulgaCand platform how much each candidate received and from which fund, and follow the registration status of each candidacy, which can still change at the TSE.