Candidate for re-election, Governor Mauro Mendez (Unian) has shown a lack of control in responding to allegations by Cuiaba Mayor Emanuel Pinheiro (MDB) and First Lady of the Capital Marcia Pinheiro (PV) who classified Mendez’s son, young Luis Taveira Mendez, as his father’s “orange” . Marcia, Mauro’s opponent and trying to prevent his re-election, challenged him at a press conference on Tuesday (20th).

Marcia went to the press and announced a violation of fiscal and financial secrecy for her entire family and suggested that Mendez do the same. Along with Emanuel, her campaign coordinator, the candidate said son Mendez has increased his net worth by 3 billion reais since the manager took over the state government.

Since he repeatedly published MINUTO MTLuis Taveira Mendez, 24, joined his first company in February 2019, weeks after his father took over the state. Since then, he has accumulated participation in 36 CNPJs in a wide variety of fields and absolute success, adding an equity participation of 2.7 billion reais, according to websites with official information of the Federal Tax Service.

out of control

Irritated by the Pinheiro family’s challenge, the head of the Paiaguas palace chose not to respond to requests for privacy, blurred the numbers associated with his son, and took the stand of a personal counterattack against the mayor. Mauro called Emanuel “a coward and a vagabond”.

The governor asked the mayor to attack his administration, not his family. “Emanuel had to stop being a coward, a deceiver and attack me. Attack my administration, don’t lie. Don’t attack my son, don’t attack my wife, you bum. He is a liar, everyone knows this and I am not going to waste my time,” he told Veja Bem MT.

Responding to the notes, the chief executive repeated the criticisms of Emanuel and Marcia and stated that the statements did not even deserve any comment and were filthy. What is he doing? Try throwing shit aside,” he said.

conflict scenario

Mauro’s apparent lack of control in this matter is also accompanied by a silence about his son’s business life, which becomes an object of public interest when he has a relationship, however indirect, with his father’s administration. Luis, for example, is investing hundreds of millions of reais in small hydroelectric power plants with lawyer Elio Palma, son-in-law of the former chief secretary of the Civic Chamber Mauro Carvalho, which require environmental licenses obtained from the state government.

In June 2021, the Mendez management hired Zopone Engenharia e Construção to pave 44 kilometers of the MT-140 motorway at a cost of BRL 45.7 million. Zopone maintains two partnerships with the governor’s son, creating a controversial relationship that even made it to the pages of the famous newspaper Estadão among other national media.

O MINUTO MT also already published that among the partners of the son of the governor are the incumbent federal candidate Fabio Garcia (UB), who is supported by Mauro, and Sidino Santos (UB), his campaign coordinator. The publication contacted the governor’s administration to ask him to comment on this issue, but did not receive a response.