Indigenous Deputy Mário Juruna Exposed Bribery Attempt in 1984, Died in Poverty in 2002
On October 26, 1984, Mário Juruna, Brazil's first and only federally elected indigenous deputy, displayed stacks of cash totaling about US$10,000 during a press conference in Brasília. This sum represented the first of four installments he was to receive for voting in favor of Paulo Maluf, the dictatorship's candidate, in the indirect presidential elections scheduled for January 1985. The opposing candidate was Tancredo Neves. The bribe arrangement had been negotiated at a hotel in Brasília with businessman Calim Eid, Maluf's campaign treasurer. Juruna, a member of the PDT party, was famous for carrying a tape recorder to document statements. After receiving the money, which he struggled to count, he confessed the scheme to his advisor, sertanista José Porfírio Fontenele de Carvalho. Following advice from party leader Leonel Brizola, Juruna publicly exposed the bribe. Both Calim Eid and Paulo Maluf denied the allegations. The bribe money was deposited into Eid's account. Juruna failed to secure re-election in subsequent elections and died impoverished and forgotten on the outskirts of Brasília on July 17, 2002.
Key facts
- Mário Juruna was the first and only indigenous person elected as a federal deputy in Brazil.
- On October 26, 1984, he publicly displayed approximately US$10,000 in cash received as a bribe.
- The bribe was intended to secure his vote for Paulo Maluf in the January 1985 indirect presidential elections.
- The arrangement was made with businessman Calim Eid, Maluf's campaign treasurer, at a hotel in Brasília.
- Juruna confessed the scheme to his advisor, sertanista José Porfírio Fontenele de Carvalho.
- Party leader Leonel Brizola advised a public press conference to expose the bribery attempt.
- Calim Eid and Paulo Maluf denied all allegations after the press conference.
- Mário Juruna died in poverty on July 17, 2002, on the outskirts of Brasília.
Entities
Institutions
- PDT
Locations
- Brasília
- Brazil