On Tuesday afternoon (11/11), the São Paulo City Council formed the Equestrian Club’s Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI), to investigate possible tax and real estate violations. The commission will also investigate the management of tax debts, the potential elimination of construction and the possible negligence of public authorities in the situation.
The Commission’s installation was only possible after the House’s internal regulations were changed, which only allowed five simultaneous CPIs to be conducted. Mobilization for change occurred shortly after the former president of the House of Representatives, Milton Leite (Uniao Brasil), filed a criminal complaint against the club’s lawyers for racism.
However, the chamber stated in an official memorandum that the commission gained strength “following recent complaints against the Jockey Club, which is suspected of irregularly using municipal and federal public resources collected for historical restoration.” Furthermore, according to the statement, the club was also charged due to nearly R$ 1 billion in municipal tax debt, such as the IPTU.
“It is necessary to investigate the possibility of misuse of purpose or insufficient allocation of resources, the management of tax debts and the status of business obligations, as well as the effectiveness of municipal inspection and the adoption of appropriate administrative measures,” stated Councilor Gilberto Nascimento Jr. (PL), author of the CPI request.
Find out who the CPI members are
- President: Gilberto Nascimento (PL)
- Vice President: Sancao Pereira (Republicans)
- Rapporteur: Carlos Bezerra Junior (PSD)
- Other members: Deson Silva (PT), Eliseo Gabriel (PSB), Kenji Eto’o (Podemos), Luana Alves (PSol), Roberto Tripoli (PV) and Sylvinho Leite (União).
With the change in rules, the Jockey CPI will exceptionally be conducted at the same time as the Metanol, Jardim Pantanal, Pancadões, Íris and HIS (Housing Social Interest) commissions.
Racism against the former chancellor
Former Speaker of the House Milton Light, who remains influential, announced he would sue the Jockey Club’s lawyers after calling him a “mad human being” in the entity’s request for judicial recovery.
In a March 2025 document, Gocque questioned the actions of Light and the City of São Paulo against the entity’s maintenance. Lawyers Ioannis Koutoujian, Joao Boyadjian, Vicente Paolillo and José Mauro Márquez claim that the institution was the target of “state terrorism” and a coup that attempted to occupy the hippodrome by force. The article says: “It is worth reproducing the press warning that the aforementioned advisor peddled, like a deranged human being, saying: ‘Horse owners, get your horses out of there, because you will be arrested.’”
According to the dictionary, the term “human” refers to something human-like in appearance and, in zoology, represents the primate families that include apes such as chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans.
Milton Light stated in a memo that after discussing the merits of the legal action, he re-evaluated the manner in which it was cited. In addition to the criminal case related to racism, he said he will represent professionals at the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB).
“As a black man who has fought discrimination all his life and, as president of the São Paulo City Council, fired a council member on charges of racism for the first time in history, I will never remain silent in the face of such a crime and this absurdity,” Light said. He concluded by saying: “I regret that these lawyers, in their intention to defend their client, exceeded the limits of ethics, respect and legitimacy.”
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