Governor Tarcísio de Freitas has formally appointed federal deputy Ricardo Salles as São Paulo’s secretary of Justice and Citizenship, with Salles due to take office in January. The two previously served together in Jair Bolsonaro’s federal administration: Tarcísio led the Infrastructure Ministry and Salles the Environment Ministry.¹

The appointment follows Salles’s withdrawal from São Paulo’s Senate contest shortly before the first round. Reporting from the right describes Tarcísio’s intervention as an effort to avoid splitting conservative votes and harming the campaigns of Guilherme Derrite and André do Prado, who were subsequently elected.¹ That account notes that Salles chose the Justice and Citizenship portfolio and says he denies wrongdoing in a criminal case before the Supreme Federal Court related to alleged facilitation of forest-products smuggling during his time as environment minister.¹

A post by commentator Rodrigo Constantino signaled support for the decision with a flexed-arm emoji while sharing news that Tarcísio had settled on Salles for the post.Rodrigo Constantino (Rconstantino)²

The contrasting account emphasizes the political context of the choice. It says Salles had criticized André do Prado during the campaign, then withdrew alongside Tarcísio and Derrite after the governor’s allies concluded his candidacy could divide the right. Although Tarcísio and Salles denied at the time that the withdrawal involved a promised senior state role, the prospect of a cabinet appointment was central to the political negotiations, according to the report.³

Critics also point to Salles’s tenure at the Environment Ministry, particularly his 2020 remark that the government should use public attention on the pandemic to “pass the herd through” — a reference to advancing environmental-regulation changes.³ The dispute matters because the Justice and Citizenship Secretariat oversees bodies including Fundação Casa and Procon-SP, coordinates policies for several social groups, and serves as an interface between the state executive and the justice system.³