Maluf, Paulo Salim (1931–)

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Maluf, Paulo Salim (1931–)

Paulo Salim Maluf (b. 3 September 1931), a Brazilian politician, was born in São Paulo, the son of Salim Farah Maluf and Maria Estefano Maluf. He married Silvia Luftalla, with whom he had four children. Although trained as an engineer, Maluf has been a longtime political figure both locally and nationally. Owner of Eucatex and other enterprises, Maluf started his political career in 1967, when President Costa e Silva appointed him president of the Caixa Econômica Federal (Federal Savings Bank) of São Paulo, a post he held for two years. In 1969, he was appointed prefeito (mayor) of his hometown and served until 1971, when he was appointed secretary of transportation for the state of São Paulo. In 1979, Maluf was indirectly elected under the ARENA Party banner as state governor. In spite of corruption charges, the politician was elected federal deputy in 1982, having received more than 600,000 votes.

Maluf ran for the presidency in 1984, but in spite of military backing was defeated in the electoral college by Tancredo de Almeida Neves. Later, he suffered additional defeats in his campaigns for governor of São Paulo state in 1986 and mayor of São Paulo in 1988, and in his candidacy for the presidency in 1989. The former governor attempted to regain the São Paulo governorship in 1990, but without success. Maluf was accused of a money-laundering scandal involving some family members on the Channel Islands. In 2001 he was formally convicted of corruption and allowed no further appeal. He was forced to pay R$500,000 to the Brazilian government. In September 2005 he and his son, Flávio Maluf, were briefly arrested and detained for three weeks on charges of intimidating witnesses in an ongoing investigation in which they were suspects. In March 2007 the Manhattan district attorney's office in the United States indicted him for his involvement in a money-laundering public works scheme, in which he allegedly stole $11.6 million. His reputation is so poor in Brazil that his name is commonly used as a verb—malufar—meaning "to steal public money."

See alsoSão Paulo (City) .