The scandal known as the “INSS Mensalão”, recently highlighted in a report by Band, revealed a fraud scheme at the National Institute of Social Security (INSS) that involved irregular discounts on benefits for retirees and pensioners, carried out by associations and unions.
The case gained notoriety not only for the losses estimated at billions of reais, but also for the allegations that entities favored by the scheme paid monthly payments to politicians, configuring what was dubbed the “INSS Mensalão”.
This article gathers information from reliable sources, such as CNN Brasil, G1/Globo and Jovem Pan, and analyzes the allegations of political involvement, with an emphasis on the alleged monthly payments.
O jornalismo da Band conversou com fontes da investigação das fraudes no INSS e alguns detalhes já está sendo chamado a atenção. Segundo essas fontes, existia um “Mensalão do INSS”. pic.twitter.com/HxPX1N7G9D
? Band Jornalismo (@BandJornalismo) May 29, 2025
The INSS Fraud Scheme
Operation Sem Desconto, launched by the Federal Police (PF) and the Office of the Comptroller General of the Union (CGU) on April 23, 2025, exposed a scheme that operated between 2019 and 2024, causing losses estimated at between R$6.3 and R$8 billion.
Associations and unions, through Technical Cooperation Agreements (ACT) with the INSS, discounted undue amounts from retirees’ benefits, often without their consent, under the pretext of membership fees.
The CGU identified that most of these fraudulent agreements were signed between 2021 and 2022, during the government of Jair Bolsonaro, with 9 of the 11 entities involved registered during this period.
The scheme involved the participation of INSS employees, lobbyists and organizations such as the National Confederation of Agricultural Workers (Contag) and the National Confederation of Family Farmers (Conafer).
Key figures, such as lobbyist Antônio Carlos Camilo Antunes (“Careca do INSS”), moved millions, with notes suggesting bribes, such as “Stefa 5%”, possibly intended for Alessandro Stefanutto, former president of INSS affiliated with the PDT and PSB.
The “INSS Monthly Payment” – Allowances to Politicians
The term “INSS Monthly Payment” appeared in posts on X, such as the one by @BandJornalismo, which alleges that organizations benefiting from the scheme paid allowances to politicians to ensure the continuation of the fraud.
Although these allegations lack concrete evidence, investigations point to possible connections with political figures from different spectrums:
Opposition members of parliament, such as Luciano Zucco (PL-RS), compare the case to the Mensalão and Petrolão scandals, while the Lula government claims to have dismantled the scheme, pointing to its origins in the Bolsonaro administration.
Impact and Official Response
The scandal exposed serious flaws in the INSS oversight, with direct impacts on retirees who had their benefits unduly reduced.
The “INSS Mensalão” has reignited political disputes: the Planalto blames the Bolsonaro administration, while the opposition tries to link the scandal to the PT.
The allegations of monthly payments to politicians, although widely discussed in posts on X, have not yet been proven and should be treated with caution.
The investigation is ongoing, with 12 inquiries opened by the PF and an Administrative Accountability Proceeding (PAR) underway.
Published in 05/30/2025 02h51
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.
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