# Brazil's Prosecutor General Linked to Business Partner Winning Public Contracts Paulo Gonet faces scrutiny over business ties with an entrepreneur securing government event contracts. - **Source:** [Estadão](https://www.estadao.com.br) - **Published:** 2026-11-08 - **Topic:** [politics](https://brifing.si/c/politics) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/7fb66412-966f-42cc-8a45-8ad9432a486b ## Business Partnership Revealed Prosecutor General Paulo Gonet is a business partner of Zilmar Santana de Assis, an entrepreneur specializing in educational events. In April 2025, Gonet established the firm Direito em Perspectiva, appointing Santana as the administrator. The company shares contact details and accounting resources with Santana’s other entity, the Brazilian Association for Training and Research. ## Public Contracts Surge Since the partnership began, Santana’s association, ABFP, secured at least 55 public contracts totaling over 5 million Brazilian reais. These agreements involve organizing seminars, providing consulting services, and selling congress registrations to various government bodies. Notable sponsors include public entities like the BNDES and the Caixa Econômica Federal bank. ## Judicial Participation Patterns Gonet and other high-ranking judicial figures, including Supreme Court Justice Gilmar Mendes, frequently participate in events organized by the ABFP. Reports indicate that some speakers receive payments for their lectures. However, specific details regarding the amounts paid to these authorities for their participation in these public-funded events remain undisclosed. ## Legal and Ethical Constraints Brazilian law prohibits public officials from managing commercial companies or acting to secure contracts for entities they are linked to. The Organic Law of the Public Ministry restricts members to passive roles as shareholders. Critics argue this partnership potentially violates the 2021 New Bidding Law regarding indirect influence in public procurement. ## Diamantino Municipal Connections The municipality of Diamantino, governed by Gilmar Mendes’s brother, Chico Mendes, awarded multiple consulting contracts to the ABFP. These included revisions to civil servant career plans and legislative consulting. Officials maintain that these contracts were awarded based on technical criteria and that the minister has no involvement in local municipal management. ## TCE-MT Major Agreement The largest contract secured by the ABFP since the partnership began is a 2.5 million reais annual agreement with the Mato Grosso State Court of Auditors. The court claims the contract is necessary to meet institutional demands for technical training and public management improvement, maintaining the continuity of services initiated in 2022. ## Institutional Responses Nineteen public entities that contracted the ABFP responded to inquiries, stating they lacked information regarding payments to authorities or the relationship between Santana and Gonet. Seven entities did not comment. The ABFP and Gonet’s press office have not provided statements regarding the nature of these business ties or specific event payments. ## Broader Implications This situation highlights concerns regarding the intersection of private business interests and public administration within the Brazilian judiciary. The lack of transparency surrounding lecture fees and the recurring nature of these contracts raise questions about institutional integrity. Future scrutiny will likely focus on whether these partnerships adhere to strict ethical standards. ## Sources covering this story - https://www.estadao.com.br/politica/gonet-e-parceiro-de-negocio-de-empresario-que-firma-contratos-publicos-por-eventos-com-ministros/ — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._