Arthur Lira

Arthur César Pereira de Lira (born 25 June 1969) is a Brazilian lawyer, farmer, entrepreneur and politician.

A member of Progressistas (PP), he is a federal deputy for Alagoas, and President of the Chamber of Deputies since February 2021.

He was elected City Councillor of Maceió in 1992, re-elected in 1996.

According to the publishing, Arthur had a net worth of R$79,000 (US$76,000) in 1996.

In 1998, Lira was elected State Deputy, re-elected in 2002 and 2006.

Lira was previously member of the Liberal Front Party (PFL), Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), Brazilian Labour Party (PTB) and the Party of National Mobilization (PMN).

In 2006, after ten years, this value rose to more than R$695,000 (US$325,527).

The parliamentarian, in the inquiry, had been accused with base in Paragraph 9th of Article 129 of the Penal Code, introduced by Maria da Penha Law (Law 11,340/2006).

Lira's defence accused his ex-wife of lying in her testimony to jeopardize the parliamentary.

According to lawyer Fernanda Tortima, "she made the corpus delicti exam, and the expert didn't see any cut in her lips. She said she was beaten for 40 minutes, and the result are four bruises in her arms and legs. [They] Lied. The witness posteriorly signed a statement taking back what they said, and says clearly they never witnessed any aggression and that they signed the statement in the Women's Police Station without even reading it".

Along with his father, he also didn't declare they were partners in the company D'Lira Agropecuária e Eventos, founded in 2007.

The book also describes the accusation that the parliamentarian was member of a scheme of resources embezzlement from the Legislative Assembly of Alagoas, in the Operation Taturana, where he is described by the Federal Police as a politician "with no limits to usurp public money".

Before this, in 2008, Lira had been arrested for obstruction of justice.

He had been suspended from his functions in the Legislative Assembly since 17 March for his involvement in the Case of Taturanas, accused of participating in a fraud scheme that emblezzed R$280 million (US$165.7 million) of the legislative branch, besides having his goods blocked.

On 1 April 2008, Lira was taken by teams of the Civil Police, with the support of the National Security Forces, and was arrested in the Fire Department Command.

A bailiff should deliver an intimation to testify in an accusation of aggression against his ex-wife.

Filiated to Progressive Party (PP) in 2009, and was elected Federal Deputy in 2010, re-elected in 2014 and 2018.

In 2010, after 14 years and three terms (two as State Deputy and one as Federal Deputy), his patrimony grew to more than R$2 million (US$1.2 million).

Besides this growth, he didn't declare goods, such as, an apartment of the neighbourhood of Jatiúca, in Maceió.

On 16 December 2011, judge Helestron Costa, of the 17th Court of Public Finances of Maceió, determined the suspension of Arthur Lira from public offices, and also the suspension of State Deputies João Beltrão and Cícero Ferro, of the Mayor of Roteiro Fábio Jatobá, of the former State Deputy Celso Luiz Brandão, former Mayor of Canapi, and of João Beltrão's daughter Jully Beltrão, as a development of Operation Taturana, initiated in 2007.

Besides that, the judge ruled to block the assets of all of them.

However, later the Justice Court of Alagoas ruled to suspend the effects of the decision after analysing the appeals made by the defense of the parliamentary.

The President of the Court, desembargador Sebastião Costa Filho, understood that Lira couldn't disturb the investigations.

In 2012, Arthur Lira was found guilty by the 17th Civil Court of Maceió in a civil law suit of administrative dishonesty by the same case.

Arthur was 1st Secretary of the Director's Board of the Legislative Assembly of Alagoas and had manipulated the payroll, making undue discounts of checks of the Assembly.

However, he appealed the conviction.

In December 2013, the Supreme Federal Court opened an inquiry for alleged bodily injury against his ex-wife, which supposedly happened in 2006, seven months after their divorce.

The complaint was received by the floor of the Supreme Court on 5 December 2013, being opened in a voting of 6-3, with the majority understanding that there was "minimal support as to the existence of evidence of authorship and materiality of the offense".

Justices Celso de Mello, Gilmar Mendes and Cármen Lúcia joined the vote of the rapporteur, Justice Teori Zavascki.

In September 2015, the Second Group of the Supreme Court, unanimously acquitted the Federal Deputy from the crimes of threat and bodily injury.

The report of the Prosecutor General of the Republic recommended the acquitting of the parliamentarian for two reasons: first, the evidence set was not enough to prove that there was domestic violence; second, Lira's ex-wife acknowledged that "[she] had done it as vengeance".

During his term, he voted to impeach President Dilma Rousseff and in favor of the Constitutional Amendment to limit public expenses (PEC 241) in 2016.

In 2016, journalist Chico de Gois, from O Globo, released a book called "Os Ben$ que os Políticos Fazem" (The well-doing$ of Politicians), which hit directly Arthur Lira and his father, Benedito de Lira.

The book brings 10 cases of Brazilian politicians who got rich during their time in office.

Among them, it brings the enrichment of three sons of politicians whom, despite young, had a fortune greater than their parents', who are in the politics for years.

Besides Lira, other cited politicians were João Henrique Caldas and Wilson Filho.

In 2017, he was favorable to the Labour Reform (PL 6787/2016) and voted against the two complaints of the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF) against President Michel Temer in August and in October.

In January, members of supporting parties of the government of Jair Bolsonaro announced the candidacy of Lira for the command of the Chamber.

At first, Lira had the support for 11 parties for the 1 February voting: PSL, PP, PL, PSD, PODE, AVANTE, PTB, PSC, PATRI, PROS and REP.

The objective of the group was to defeat the candidate supported by incumbent President Rodrigo Maia, Deputy Baleia Rossi.