Sewing relationships between businessmen, politicians and judges. This is how one could define the role of the Group of Business Leaders (Lide), led by João Doria, who has returned to the spotlight in recent weeks, by funding the trip of Ministers of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) to New York. The group’s relationship with the Brazilian Supreme Court, however, did not begin in this episode that violated the laws of the judiciary and civil servants, in the opinion of jurists heard by Gazeta do Povo. In 2017, Lide held a luncheon with the presence of Alexandre de Moraes, recently chosen for the STF, who gave a lecture to a selected group of businessmen, members of the organization, who pay monthly fees in the order of R$ 10 thousand and buy sponsorship quotas at events. In the same year, the then mayor of São Paulo, João Doria, was the protagonist of controversies with Lide trips and events, in which it was difficult to separate public and private.
In
, the founder of Lide and then governor of São Paulo, once again mixed public and private functions by attending a lunch-debate with the then president of the STF, Dias Toffoli. And, more recently, on November 8, another minister, André Mendonça, participated in a Lide regional event in Rio de Janeiro.
Lide appeared in 2003 and quickly managed to establish itself as one of the main lobby groups in Brazil, even though this word is never used in the entity’s communications. On its official website, Grupo Doria prefers to define itself as “specialized in enhancing the ability to do business quickly and efficiently, whether through the production and dissemination of content, relationship promotion or brand experience”. in fact, it is clearly important for Lide’s activities.
In an interview given to VEJA magazine in 2007, a few years after the launch of the group, Doria explained how he managed to bring together so many influential people at his events. “It’s a win-win. Those who go win friends, customers, information, content, business. The proof is that there was never anyone who didn’t want to come back”, he said. provided some tips, including sending gifts (which he preferred to call “delicacies”) the day before. And letting a competitor know that the other had confirmed their presence at the event. Another suggestion: never invite people from positions below vice president of companies.
It is an exclusive club, in fact. To participate in the Lide, it is necessary to be in high-ranking political positions. Or, in the case of entrepreneurs, confirm a minimum annual turnover of BRL 200 million. In 2006, the organizers of the group’s events informed Agência Estado that Lide added % of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Present on five continents, Lide maintains state-level groups in Brazil, in addition to exclusively female subdivisions. Abroad, there are units in countries such as Germany, Argentina, Australia, China, United States, England, Italy and Switzerland. The headquarters are located on Avenida Brigadeiro Faria Lima, in São Paulo, one of the main financial centers in the country.
In Brazil, lobbying is not regulated by law, but is protected by the Federal Constitution. “The activity of lobbying in itself does not constitute a crime. But, given the absence of clear contours, it is not uncommon for lobbying to be confused with crimes of corruption, administrative law and influence peddling”, explains Afonso Celso de Oliveira, civil lawyer.
According to even so, there is a risk that the limits not yet regulated may cross the barrier from legality to illegality. “If the existence of economic or political advantage to the actors involved in the public sphere (magistrates, ministers, civil servants in general) is proven, the activity ceases to be a lobby for the conception of criminal activity, which includes the criminal types of passive/active corruption , criminal association etc.”, details the jurist.
Even in situations where the barrier of illegality is not transposed, Oliveira adds that a more guarded posture is always positive for those who assume certain public functions, like judges, for example. “I prefer to conceive the idea of judges who keep the discretion and liturgy that their position imposes on them, avoiding to express themselves on controversial subjects outside the case file, so that judicial activism does not configure, which is when the judge’s activity is confused with that of the legislator or the executive branch, mixing their functions and going beyond their prerogatives, thus bringing legal uncertainty, for decisions that should be based on the best technique of law and, however, were guided by the ideological and political vision of the magistrate”, he completes.
Public and private
Even while he was mayor and governor, Doria did not break away from his Lide routine, especially when he sought to boost his candidacy for the presidency. On different occasions, he took advantage of trips to participate in events as a public figure and also as a businessman – it was common for the group to organize lunches or dinners in the same place where the governor would be.
In August 2017, when he was still mayor of the capital of São Paulo, Doria “went to five cities to attend events that had Lide among their organizers”, according to an article published by Valor Econômico, entitled “Doria uses Lide network to travel the country”. The text reports that, in a few days, “Doria went to Fortaleza for an event in which Lide Ceará was one of the three organizers. Then he flew to Recife for a seminar promoted by Lide Pernambuco, whose president, Drayton Nejaim, hung up the phone when asked by the report about the initiative.”
“In her public agenda, Doria does not specify when the events have Lide in the organization”, informed the article, citing other events in which he participated at the time, in Curitiba (PR), Brasília (DF), Salvador (BA) and Natal (RN) – where he “received the title of non-Natal citizen”. in the Chamber, but at Teatro Riachuelo, belonging to Flávio Rocha, owner of Riachuelo. “At the time, it was suggested that the two formed a ticket together for Planalto.”
At the same time, João Doria sought support from former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso (FHC), who agreed to carry out a lecture for Lide. The fee was not confirmed, although, at that time, the former president used to charge BRL 200 thousand for participation in events.
At the beginning of 2016, Lide had already been featured in Folha de S. Paulo for requesting funds from businessmen to pay for a lecture by Doria himself, then mayor of São Paulo . The publication had access to an e-mail from the group sent to companies, “asking for money to finance the ‘lunch-debate’ with business leaders on March 6, at the Grand Hyatt hotel, in São Paulo, with a presentation by the newly appointed mayor sworn in”. conflicts of interest at the time.
Event at the Palácio dos Bandeirantes
By the way, Rodrigo Garcia, deputy of Doria and governor of São Paulo until the end of this year, it is a constant presence at conferences organized by the group, including Lide Business Trip China, in 2019, and the recent trip to New York.
Formally , Lide’s control is in the hands of the former governor’s son, João Doria Neto – the father passed the baton when he decided to run for mayor of São Paulo, in 2016, and today he is vice-chairman of the group’s Advisory Board.
After meeting the controversy in New York, the group will also present the Leaders of Brazil award 2022, on December 7th, at Palácio dos Bandeirantes, the headquarters of the state government of São Paulo. The event shows that Lide remains committed to connecting businessmen to parliamentarians and, mainly, leaders of the judiciary.
A Gazeta do Povo
