Supreme Court Justice Flávio Dino has lifted secrecy around an investigation into possible misuse of public money, including parliamentary amendments and São Paulo municipal funds, in connection with Dark Horse, a film about former president Jair Bolsonaro. The case was transferred from São Paulo to the Supreme Federal Court at the Federal Police’s request.¹

Accounts from both political perspectives describe the inquiry as examining whether the film’s financing forms part of a broader alleged scheme. A report from the left highlights Dino’s assessment that investigators had found a potentially inseparable overlap within a “sophisticated scheme of allocation and diversion of public resources,” particularly involving federal amendments and São Paulo city funds.² The ruling also refers to an investigative line involving possible links to the PCC criminal organization and repeatedly mentions federal lawmaker Mário Frias, the film’s screenwriter and executive producer, in a hypothetical leadership role. These remain investigative allegations, not findings of guilt.²

The report from the right likewise says Dino ordered financial intelligence reports on companies under scrutiny and on producer Karina Gama, as well as the transfer of seized phones, computers and documents to federal custody. It notes that Gama denies irregularities and says she had no contact with the fund that received money for the production; Frias also denies wrongdoing.¹

Where the coverage diverges is over the implications of disclosure. The right-leaning report presents legal commentary that openness is generally the rule and secrecy the exception, while warning that public release does not establish “guilt.”¹ It also records concerns that the move could become entangled in electoral politics. The left-leaning account instead emphasizes Dino’s stated judicial shift toward public proceedings and the alleged common structure that led him to assume control of the case.²

Dino said publicity could help prevent selective leaks and allow the material received from São Paulo to proceed openly at the Supreme Court. The next stage will depend on investigators’ review of financial records and seized material.¹