Marcio Nunes, the Secretary of Agriculture and Supply of Paraná, signed a civil non-prosecution agreement to pay a fine for improperly using respirator donations for political purposes during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Marcio Nunes, the Secretary of Agriculture and Supply for the state of Paraná, Brazil, has signed a civil non-prosecution agreement (ANPC) to resolve an investigation into allegations of administrative impropriety linked to the political use of respirators donated during the Covid-19 pandemic. The agreement, which was finalized in November 2025, commits Nunes to pay a fine of R$ 23,600, acknowledging that he utilized the donation for political purposes while serving as Secretary of Sustainable Development.
The controversy stems from an incident in April 2021, when the Santa Casa de Campo Mourão, a hospital located in central Paraná, received a donation of respirators amid the pandemic. At that time, Nunes posted a video on social media thanking a company for the donation, where he was seen alongside his daughter, who is a doctor at the hospital. This video was quickly removed, raising questions regarding the appropriateness of the political messaging associated with the donation.
The investigation into Nunes was initiated by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Paraná (MP-PR), focusing on the potential misuse of public resources and the integrity of political conduct in the context of the pandemic. The agreement reached not only resolves the immediate legal issue for Nunes but also highlights the broader concerns regarding transparency and accountability in political conduct during emergencies.
