Since 2023, a karate entity has received more than 18 million reais through parliamentary amendments from the state of São Paulo to promote sports competitions and offer martial arts classes.
THE Leaf analyzed financial statements sent by the Brazilian Interestilos Karate Confederation to the Tarcísio de Freitas (Republican) government and identified signs of overvaluation of approximately R$1.7 million when hiring suppliers.
Among the examples, a snack kit whose combined items can be found on a wholesale website for R$5.13 was purchased for R$12.96; 500 ml bottles of water purchased for an average of R$0.95 cost R$2.59; and the rental of a plastic chair negotiated on average for R$4.43 rose to R$12.54.
The confederation is not the only martial arts group to have received substantial sums from deputies of the São Paulo Legislative Assembly throughout the current legislature. In 2025, the Brazilian Confederation of Chinese Martial Arts also benefited, with R$7.3 million in amendments, the Valeparaibana Martial Arts League, with R$4.2 million, and the São Paulo Karate Federation, with R$2 million.
Over the course of a weekend at the Mauro Pinheiro gymnasium in Ibirapuera Park, CBKI spends up to 1.5 million reais to promote a competition. Five months of classes in three spaces on the outskirts of the city cost up to 2 million reais in amendments. Meanwhile, some cities across the state go years without receiving any resources from lawmakers.
PL deputies Rodrigo Moraes (R$5 million), Gil Diniz (R$3.65 million) and André Bueno (R$3.5 million) and former deputy Adriana Borgo (R$5 million), from Agir, have been those who have led the most amendments to the CBKI since 2023.
The report filed 14 requests through the Access to Information Law, requesting from the State Secretariat of Sports of the Tarcísio government the work plans, accounts and activity reports provided by the confederation. Ten amendments made to the CBKI were analyzed, the accounts of which have already been studied and made public by the ministry.
The investigation of Leaf It consisted of comparing the unit prices charged by the confederation’s suppliers with the prices of similar items negotiated with public bodies throughout Brazil and sold on the private market. To do this, the report used the National Public Procurement Portal as a tool. Prices were also collected during direct consultations with companies in the sector, as well as on online sales sites.
In a statement, CBKI denied purchasing items worth more than those offered on the market and said all contracts were preceded by a price search, with the presentation of at least three quotes from specialized companies. He also said that the financial statements were duly prepared and approved by the state government.
MP Rodrigo Moraes (PL) said, in a note, that the parliamentary amendments “are accompanied by rigorous work plans that define the objectives, goals and timetable for execution.” MP André Bueno (PL) said that financial execution is the entity’s responsibility, that it was not aware of any overvaluation and that it “fully supports the investigation into the facts.”
Rep. Danilo Campetti (Republicans) also said that execution of the resources is the sole responsibility of the grantee. He also said he would monitor the actions of supervisory bodies so that responsibilities could be determined.
The dismissed deputy Rui Alves (Republicans), municipal secretary of Tourism of the capital, said that the project he financed, as well as the responsibility, passed the examination of the State Secretariat for Sports. MPs Gil Diniz (PL) and Felipe Franco (União Brasil) as well as former MP Adriana Borgo (Agir) did not speak.
The Sports Secretariat indicated, in a note, that all financing conditions “strictly follow the legislation in force and are subject to a technical, administrative and documentary analysis”.
The ministry said the values presented in the work plans are evaluated based on a price reference table from the secretariat, taking into account the “specific conditions of each contract, such as quantity, logistics, location and execution time.” “If an irregularity is noted, appropriate administrative measures are adopted.”
After the completion of the project or event, the entity benefiting from the amendment must send to the secretariat concerned an activity report reflecting the activities carried out, as well as the invoices issued by the contracted suppliers.
The final opinion on one of the amendments made to the CBKI, dated September 25, 2025, was entrusted to the public executive Sueli Maraschim, who was one of the people who approved the application of the resources. Sueli is close to the director of the confederation, Osvaldo Messias de Oliveira, and to his daughter, Monica Fernandes Oliveira, who was directly involved in the events.
On Facebook, the server tagged Monica in a 2017 post, in a space that appears to be a classroom. In another photo, Osvaldo commented about Sueli: “Queen, great woman and friend.”
Another opinion came from civil servant Rodney Assis de Andrade, former president of Liga de Judo Paulista.
The Sports Secretariat did not respond whether the two servers had the necessary distance to evaluate CBKI’s accounts.
On social networks, Monica Fernandes often posts photos of meetings with secretaries of the Tarcísio government, members of the Sports Department and municipal councilors. In one of them, he appears alongside First Lady Cristiane Freitas and says he had the pleasure of being received at the official residence of the Palácio dos Bandeirantes to talk about the work of the CBKI.
SURPRICE
THE Leaf identified that at least five items (snack kit, water, chairs, tablecloths and medals) had been purchased by CBKI at prices higher than those in the market.
A snack kit with three items, for example, was purchased for R$12.96. Photos from activity reports indicate that the kit consists of a Nutry cereal bar, a 200ml processed juice from Nutri and a small biscuit with yellow packaging, which appears to be from Bauducco. Added together, the same items, from the same brands, cost no more than R$5.13 on a wholesale site.
The supplier was Evandro Luiz Hengles, a Facebook friend of Monica Fernandes. Evandro’s wife Ana Hengles’ company also issued invoices for the snack kit. The couple also provided 500 ml bottles of water for the price of R$2.59, a value higher than the R$0.95 average found by the report in other public markets.
In September 2025, Ana’s company won an electronic auction organized by the city of Itapecerica da Serra (SP) to provide a variety of snack kits. One of them consisted of three items: a sandwich of white bread with mozzarella and ham, a fruit and 200 ml of whole juice. Ana won the negotiation with a unit price of R$6.89, much lower than the price agreed with CBKI.
To execute just one amendment, Evandro was hired to deliver over 50,000 snacks. Since 2023, he and his wife have received 3.1 million reais from the confederation, considering only the state amendments analyzed by the Leaf.
In a note sent to the report, Evandro said it charges prices consistent with the market and that the values reflect the quality of the items, as well as the costs involved in labor, packaging, transportation and weekly frequency of deliveries.
Also note the contractual rental prices for plastic chairs and large tablecloths. Daily rental of a single, armless, bistro-style chair costs R$12.54. The average of the five prices collected by the report for the same item was R$4.43.
Each microfiber towel, in turn, was rented for R$87.35. THE Leaf consulted eight companies, via the website or by telephone, and found an average of R$49.70 for the daily rental of towels of similar size, made from oxford fabric (the most common in the manufacture of this type of item). In three online stores, this fabric and microfiber are sold at similar prices.
In a note, the Equipafesta company indicated that the report’s calculations lack technical precision, that prices vary depending on size, fabric, finish and complexity of assembly and that they also depend on seasonal tables.
Considering only the amendments analyzed by the LeafEquipafesta began acting as a supplier to CBKI at the end of 2024. Before that, chairs and towels were purchased from the Novo Tempo company for the same value, including decimals.
Equipafesta did not explain the reason for the repetition of values. Novo Tempo stated that it had no links with other suppliers and was not involved in price matching. He also said there were no excessive prices for the services provided.
The report was only able to analyze items exchanged for suspicious values. It was not possible to confirm whether the quantity of products (e.g. 1,298 medals for two days of competition) was adequate for each event. THE Leaf also did not analyze more complex elements, which could lead to greater price variation, such as event organization structures.
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