The Minas Gerais Electoral Prosecutor’s Office filed a complaint on 8 July seeking the suspension of political rights of federal deputy Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG) for alleged electoral crimes committed during Belo Horizonte’s 2024 municipal race. Prosecutors say Ferreira and state deputy Bruno Engler, then a mayoral candidate, published videos falsely portraying “Cobiça”, a 2020 novel by then-mayor Fuad Noman, as a “pornographic book” and linking the author to child exploitation. The filing describes a “systematic disinformation campaign” aimed at damaging Noman’s bid for re-election. The indictment states that Ferreira ignored an October 2024 court order to remove the material, reposted the accusations and mocked the judiciary, demonstrating what prosecutors called “dolo intenso”. Alongside the suspension of political rights, the office requests damages to be paid to charities chosen by Noman’s family. Also named are Engler, state deputy Delegada Sheila and former vice-mayoral candidate Coronel Cláudia. If the Electoral Court upholds the request, the politicians could be barred from holding office and running in future elections. Ferreira and Engler had not responded to press inquiries at the time of publication.