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In the Middle of Vacation in Bahia, Communications Minister Used Aircraft from the Brazilian Air Force for a Day Trip to Brasília, Responding to an Urgent Calling from President Lula. The Meeting Addressed the Controversial Changes in Meta’s Content Moderation Policies That Generated Global Repercussions.
At the beginning of a year marked by strategic decisions in the federal government, unexpected movements occurred behind the scenes in Brasília.
Changes in the Policies of Major Technology Companies and the need for quick responses put authorities on alert, demanding immediate actions for alignment and guideline definition.
As revealed on Tuesday (25) by the Terra portal, on January 10, 2025, Communications Minister Juscelino Filho interrupted his vacation on the coast of Bahia to respond to an urgent call from President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
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The meeting, held at the Palácio do Planalto, primarily focused on the recent changes in Meta’s content moderation policies, the company responsible for platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
To facilitate his participation in the meeting, the minister requested the use of an aircraft from the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), justifying the lack of commercial flights that would allow him to arrive on time.
Calling and Justification for Using the Official Aircraft
The presidential call occurred the night before the meeting, around 6 PM on January 9.
Given the short notice and the unavailability of suitable commercial flights, the minister’s office sent an official letter to the FAB requesting official transport.
In the document, the minister’s chief of ceremonial, Márcia Crisna Baía, emphasized the urgency of the trip and the impossibility of viable commercial alternatives.
“In consultations with airlines, no possibility of a commercial flight that arrives in time for the scheduled agenda was found, considering that the Communications Minister is in Trancoso/BA,” Baía stated in the letter.
Procedures and Compliance with Current Regulations
The FAB assessed the request and found that it met the legal requirements for the use of aircraft by authorities, authorizing the trip.
According to the Ministry of Communications, all measures for use were duly documented and authorized by the competent bodies, in full compliance with current regulations.
The ministry also highlighted that if there had been a failure to fully comply with legal requirements, the request would have been promptly denied.
Details of the Trip and Participation in the Meeting
According to records from the FAB, the minister took off from Porto Seguro (BA) at 8 AM on January 10, arriving in Brasília at 9:35 AM, accompanied by the head of the ministry’s communication advisory.
The meeting with President Lula began at 10 AM at the Palácio do Planalto and included the presence of other authorities, such as the Chief of Staff Minister, Rui Costa, the then interim Minister of Justice, Manoel Carlos de Almeida Neto, the Attorney General of the Union, Jorge Messias, and Vinícius de Carvalho from the Office of the Comptroller General of the Union.
The main topic discussed was Meta’s decision to end the fact-checking program on its platforms, as well as to reduce filters and moderation of content, as announced on January 7.
Return to Vacation Spot and Debates About the Use of the Aircraft
After the meeting ended, Juscelino Filho again requested the use of an FAB aircraft to return to the location where he was vacationing with his family.
The minister took off from Brasília at 1:25 PM, arriving in Porto Seguro at 2:45 PM the same day. This return sparked debates among experts about the appropriateness of using official aircraft for trips that would not clearly fall under “official travel.”
The administrative law professor at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), André Rosilho, suggested that returning to a vacation destination does not seem to fit the concept of official travel, proposing that the trip could be made on commercial flights.
However, the Decree No. 10.267, of March 5, 2020, which regulates the use of FAB aircraft by authorities, does not explicitly detail situations like this, leaving room for various interpretations.
Official Position and Precedents
In a statement, the Ministry of Communications asserted that the entire procedure for the minister’s trip was conducted with total transparency and in a strictly legal manner.
The ministry highlighted that, on three other occasions during the vacation period when the minister needed to attend official commitments in Brasília, there was no use of FAB aircraft, as there was availability of commercial flights and sufficient time for the trips.
This episode brings to mind previous discussions about the use of official aircraft by authorities for purposes not strictly related to service.
In August 2023, the Ethics Commission of the Presidency of the Republic filed an inquiry against Minister Juscelino Filho for using a FAB plane to participate in a horse auction in São Paulo, understanding that the minister followed all legal guidelines at the time.
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