The Mato Grosso Electoral Court fined the candidate for State Government, Rafaell Milas (Missão), R$5,000 for negative early electoral propaganda against Senator Wellington Fagundes (PL), also a candidate for Paiaguás. The decision was handed down this Friday (21) by assistant judge Glenda Moreira Borges, as part of a representation filed by the Liberal Party.
Rafaell Milas is fined for comparing Wellington Fagundes to Mr. Krabs, from SpongeBob
The Mato Grosso Electoral Court fined the candidate for State Government, Rafaell Milas (Missão), R$5,000 for negative early electoral propaganda against Senator Wellington Fagundes (PL), also a candidate for Paiaguás. The decision was...
The fine was imposed due to a publication on social media in which Wellington's face was digitally inserted into the body of the character Mr. In the montage, the phrase “HELLO, I LIKE MONEY” appeared, as well as a R$50 banknote modified with the image of a jaguar and the inscription “ONÇA NO ESTADO”.
- The representation analyzed by the judge brought together three episodes of criticism made by Milas to the senator during the 2026 electoral race.
- The first of them occurred in a press conference held on July 20, when the candidate stated that Wellington had “a lot to explain about the ambulance case, the leech”, in reference to the...
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The fine was imposed due to a publication on social media in which Wellington's face was digitally inserted into the body of the character Mr. Krabs, from the SpongeBob cartoon. In the montage, the phrase “HELLO, I LIKE MONEY” appeared, as well as a R$50 banknote modified with the image of a jaguar and the inscription “ONÇA NO ESTADO”.
The representation analyzed by the judge brought together three episodes of criticism made by Milas to the senator during the 2026 electoral race. The first of them occurred in a press conference held on July 20, when the candidate stated that Wellington had “a lot to explain about the ambulance case, the leech”, in reference to the Leech Mafia scandal.
On the same occasion, Milas also classified the opposing political group as a “bunch of corrupt politicians who have been sinking Mato Grosso for 30 years” and mocked the electoral clash by stating: “I'm even afraid that Wellington Fagundes will have a heart attack that day, because I'm going to judge him a lot with the truth”. The content was later replicated in stories on social media.
Despite the tone of the statements, the judge understood that the statements made at the press conference were within the limits of political criticism. In the judge's assessment, mentions of historical facts, past investigations and blunt statements in an electoral dispute environment are part of the public debate, especially when directed at political agents.
The decision also noted that Wellington Fagundes had favorable legal outcomes in part of the aforementioned investigations, but considered that the debate about his public trajectory remains legitimate in the electoral context.
The understanding was different in relation to the video entitled “As verdinhas do Wellington”, published on July 24, with the participation of Renan Santos. For the judge, the montage with the character Mr. Krabs went beyond the limits of satire and directly affected the senator's honor and personal image.
Rafaell Milas' defense maintained that the content was an artisanal satire, without the use of artificial intelligence. The Public Electoral Ministry had expressed its opinion that the representation was unfounded.
However, the judge disagreed with the MPE's opinion. According to the decision, the central point was not the use, or not, of artificial intelligence, but the visual association of the senator with a character notoriously linked to avarice and obsession with money, added to the use of graphic elements related to heritage.
As a result, the Electoral Court confirmed the injunction that determined the removal of the video and sentenced Rafaell Milas to pay a fine of R$5,000, set at the minimum level provided for by law.