The mayor of São Paulo, Ricardo Nunes (MDB), hired the Instituto Saber Brasil (ICB), owned by Karina da Gama, to install Wi-Fi points on the outskirts of the capital of São Paulo. — Photo: Reproduction/TV Globo
The mayor of São Paulo, Ricardo Nunes (MDB), said this Monday (14) that, if the Federal Supreme Court (STF) determines the end of the municipality's wi-fi contract with the NGO run by businesswoman Karina da Gama, producer of the film "Dark Horse", about the life of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), he will have to close the service on the outskirts of the capital of São Paulo.
In a Whatsapp message, Nunes stated that the end of the partnership between the Secretariat of Innovation and Technology and Karina da Gama's Instituto Saber Brasil (ICB), means that municipal management will have to start from scratch the search for a new company to manage the service in the city.
"Prodam [municipal data processing company] cannot provide [the service] with a value of R$1,260 per point. I will have to cancel and make another call. The same service that was provided by Prodam has a value of R$6,699.99 per point", stated the mayor of SP.
In June 2024, Karina da Gama's NGO signed a R$108 million contract with the municipal administration to install 5,000 free internet points in peripheral areas of the city.
The entity that produced the film about Bolsonaro only installed 3,200 points and received R$ 113.9 million from the city hall in two years, until May, to carry out the service.
The contract is being investigated by the Federal Police on suspicion of misappropriation of public resources to finance the film about the former president (see below).
This Monday, the São Paulo City Attorney's Office sent a request to Flávio Dino to reconsider the decision. According to the city hall, the abrupt suspension could cause losses. The request is for ICB to execute only this contract or for a longer period of time to change the company.
Suspicions of misappropriation of resources
A report from the São Paulo Civil Police identified "consistent suspicions" that public resources from the 'WiFi Livre SP' program, contracted through the Instituto Saber Brasil (ICB), have been diverted to pay for the production activities of the film "Dark Horse" — about the life of former president Jair Bolsonaro.
The document became public this Sunday (13) after the minister of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), Flávio Dino, removed the confidentiality of documents sent by the São Paulo Court.
"There are consistent suspicions of asset confusion and that public resources from the 'WiFi Livre SP' program have been diverted to pay for the production activities of the aforementioned film, using the accounts of subcontracted companies and other social organizations managed by the investigated company to launder the amounts diverted from the São Paulo treasury", says the report.
Producer Karina Ferreira da Gama, who participated in the production of the film, is identified by investigators as the main figure behind the entities and companies that appear in the investigation.
Karina chairs the ICB, an organization that received resources from parliamentary amendments and signed contracts with public authorities, and is also a partner in the production company Go Up Entertainment, responsible for producing the film "Dark Horse".
According to the investigation, the relationship between ICB, Go Up and other entities linked to Karina is at the center of suspicions of property confusion and embezzlement of public resources.
The São Paulo Civil Police also points out, in the report, that the São Paulo Court of Auditors had identified at least 20 serious irregularities in the public notice that resulted in the contract to supply Wi-Fi.
"Among the main restrictions ignored by the municipal department, it is worth highlighting that the notice used generic criteria for choosing a social organization without prior experience in the telecommunications sector", he added.
The SP Civil Police also points out a defect, that is, an original flaw in the selection process and disparity in costs.
It informs that, while the municipal public company Prodam charged the municipality itself the cost of R$230 for the implementation of each internet point and R$306 for its monthly maintenance, the contract signed with the ICB established the value of R$1,800 per point.
"Corresponding to a charge at least twice as high as the prices usually charged by the Municipal Administration", says the Civil Police report.
"It was also noted in the content of the information that during the 2024 electoral period, the installation of points was considerably anticipated due to direct political interference, reaching 1,605 active points at the end of October 2024. However, after the end of the electoral event, the pace of installations slowed down sharply, reaching only 3,200 points in June 2025. The remaining 1,800 points were never installed", completed the document.
Based on the balance sheet, the police reported that the municipality should have paid around R$43 million for the months in which internet was effectively supplied to active points.
However, he noted that R$69 million was transferred, resulting in a "blatant difference" of R$26 million paid for services not provided.
Karina Ferreira da Gama, owner of the company Go UP Entertainment, responsible for the film 'Dark Horse' - about the life of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL). — Photo: Reproduction/Social Networks
