Sergipe's First Lady used her daughter's company to collect water for the family's stud farm.

The first lady of Sergipe, Érica Mitidieri , used an insurance company whose main partner is her daughter to obtain, from the state government (headed by her husband, Fábio Mitidieri ), a water collection permit for irrigation on a rural property owned by her family, in the interior of Sergipe.

The state's Environment Department approved the license in April 2023, according to documents reviewed by CartaCapital . On April 15, 2025, the department renewed the license on behalf of M Cavalcante & Seguros for another two years. However, among the activities declared by the company to the Federal Revenue Service, there is no mention of rural or agricultural operations.

Legal experts interviewed confidentially by the report state that it is unusual that the concession of the license is linked to the CNPJ of M Cavalcante, instead of being linked to the Haras and Parque Esperanza Farm, in the municipality of Itaporanga D'Ajuda (32 kilometers from Aracaju), where the water resources would be used.

Contacted by reporters, Erica Mitidieri—who is also the state's Secretary of Social Assistance—denied any wrongdoing or any possible conflict of interest. In a statement, she said the request was made on behalf of the company because she owns the property—which, according to the first lady, would be in compliance with state law.

Brazilian law determines that water is a natural resource in the public domain: it belongs to society and cannot be appropriated without control. Therefore, anyone wishing to use it to irrigate crops, supply industries, or raise animals, for example, requires legal authorization to prevent indiscriminate use and ensure that the resource is shared fairly.

In Sergipe , the Department of Environment, Sustainability, and Climate Action is responsible for authorizing or denying the use of water resources. Those wishing to use water on a large scale must submit an application, documents, area maps, technical justifications, and, in some cases, environmental permits.

Semac assesses whether there is sufficient water available in the region, whether its use is appropriate, and whether it will not harm others who depend on the same water source. If everything is in order, the department publishes a permitting ordinance, defining how much water can be used, for what purpose, for how long, and under what conditions.

The water resources approved by the department come from the Tabocas Stream, a tributary of the Vaza Barris River basin , which flows through the states of Bahia and Sergipe, flowing into the coast of the latter. The first license granted to M Cavalcante & Seguros in April 2023 listed only the First Lady's name and included a bar below the space designated for the applicant's CNPJ (Brazilian Taxpayer Registry).

The first authorization was given by Semac on April 14, 2023, but the ordinance published in the Official Gazette censored the CNPJ through which the request was made.

However, SEMAC's second ordinance removed the blurring, making it possible to identify the company's use in the grant application. With the first authorization alone, it would have been possible to extract approximately 39,210 cubic meters—the equivalent of 16 Olympic-sized swimming pools filled with water, according to the International Swimming Federation's measurements.

This volume would also ensure the consumption of at least 52,000 people for a month, considering an average daily consumption of 75 liters per person (the United Nations standard for basic needs). Both documents recommend developing a plan to monitor the captured water flow for inspection purposes.

The Haras Esperanza property was purchased in 2021 from businessman Beto Chamusca, according to a post made at the time on the company's official Instagram profile. "This is how the Mitidieri family overcomes one of the most difficult and unexpected times the world has faced – the COVID-19 pandemic," reads the post , which also highlights the clan's passion for thoroughbred horses.

However, its official opening took place in November 2023, according to information from the Federal Revenue Service. Shortly thereafter, last March, the company was dissolved through "voluntary liquidation." This is a process in which the company terminates its activities on its own initiative, accompanied by the distribution of assets and assets among the partners.

In other words : Haras Esperanza was not formally active at the time of the first water use grant. And it had already ceased operations when the license to exploit water resources was renewed by Semac.

In this regard, Erica Mitidieri added in a statement that the company FC Mitidieri Haras FM, which closed this year, never held the concession or the property, having operated in the area through a concession of use. "The cancellation of the CNPJ (National Register of Legal Entities) was an administrative decision unrelated to the concession process, which remains linked to the active owner company," the statement reads. The text also points out that the documentation regarding the water use request is "available for public consultation," but the reporter was unable to access it on the Semac portal, despite several attempts.