A justice of Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF), Kassio Nunes Marques, has denied a Federal Police request to carry out a search of ACM Neto, a former mayor of Salvador and the União Brasil candidate for governor of Bahia, as part of the Overclean inquiry into the suspected diversion of parliamentary earmark funds, the budget allocations Brazilian lawmakers steer to local projects. The decision became public on Thursday (Sept. 17), the same day the operation's tenth phase was launched, and came even though the Attorney General's Office (PGR) had backed the police request, according to news outlet G1.

The new phase executed 24 search and seizure warrants in six states (Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Tocantins, Paraná, Espírito Santo and Bahia), all authorized by Nunes Marques, who serves as the case's rapporteur on the court. It targets procurement by the Belo Horizonte municipal Education Department between 2024 and 2025; at least three contracting processes produced contracts adding up to more than 80 million reais (about US$ 15 million). "Investigators are examining signs of steering of procurement procedures toward suppliers of services and teaching materials," the Federal Police said.

Warrant targets include Bruno Barral, the former Belo Horizonte education secretary, dismissed in April 2025 after being targeted in the operation's third phase, and Bahia businessman José Marcos Moura, known as the "Trash King" for his waste-management business, indicted by the police in August on suspicion of taking part in the scheme. Alex Maciel, described by investigators as a businessman and Moura's partner, is also a target. The phase covers crimes against public administration, bid and contract fraud, criminal organization and money laundering. None of the reports published so far mentions an indictment or criminal charges against ACM Neto; the only measure reported concerning him is the search warrant that was denied.

Timeline

• April 2025: Bruno Barral, then Belo Horizonte's education secretary, is dismissed after being targeted in the operation's third phase.
• January this year: the Federal Police files the request for the tenth phase, authorized only in recent weeks, according to reporting by the newspaper Estadão carried by InfoMoney.
• August: José Marcos Moura is indicted by the police on suspicion of taking part in the earmark diversion scheme.
• September 17: the tenth phase executes 24 warrants across six states; the request to search ACM Neto is denied by Nunes Marques, although the PGR had agreed to it.

Contacted by reporters, Nunes Marques's office said it would not comment on the decision, and the reasons for the denial have not been made public. The candidate had not spoken publicly as of the first reports. The case remains assigned to Nunes Marques at the STF, where Overclean continues to investigate a suspected network of businessmen, public officials and operators who allegedly diverted public money through contracts and congressional earmarks.

The ruling comes less than three weeks before the first round of Brazil's general elections, set for Oct. 4, in which ACM Neto is running for governor of Bahia. The inquiry remains open at the STF, and further police action in the operation requires the rapporteur's authorization.