Brazil's Top Court Allows Investigation Into President's Son

A justice on Brazil's Supreme Court has given federal police permission to investigate Fabio Luis Lula da Silva, the son of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Investigators believe Fabio Luis may have used his father's position to help a lobbyist get meetings with officials at the country's health ministry. The approval came from Justice Andre Mendonca, and two people with direct knowledge of the decision confirmed the news to Reuters.

Fabio Luis, who goes by the nickname "Lulinha," is accused of influence peddling and corruption. Those are serious charges that mean a person uses their powerful connections to get favors or money in ways that are not allowed. The alleged help was done on behalf of a man named Antonio Carlos Camilo Antunes, who had business dealings with Brazil's health ministry.

One part of the investigation looks at whether Lulinha helped Antunes' businesses get meetings with health ministry officials. Those meetings were connected to a government deal involving a medicine made from cannabidiol, a chemical compound found in the cannabis plant. Investigators want to know if Lulinha used his family name to open doors that would not normally be open.

This is not the first time Lulinha has been under scrutiny. Earlier this year, Justice Mendonca also gave federal police permission to investigate him over a separate case. That case involves claims that he received improper payments linked to a scheme involving unauthorized deductions taken from pensions managed by Brazil's National Social Security Institute, known as INSS, and Antunes was also tied to that case.

President Lula spoke about his son in a February interview with the Brazilian news outlet UOL. He said he had directly confronted Fabio Luis about the INSS accusations. "If you've done something wrong, you'll pay the price for it. If you haven't, defend yourself," Lula told UOL, making clear he would not shield his son from the law.

As of now, the federal police investigation into Fabio Luis has not yet been formally opened, meaning it has not officially started. Lawyers for Fabio Luis did not respond to requests for comment, and Antunes' legal team could not be reached. The story is still developing, and no charges have been filed against Lulinha at this time.