Brazil ex-official returns toilet she had removed from office

A former city councilor in Brazil has returned a toilet and two sinks that were removed from his office after he failed to call an election.

A video of one of Janaína Lima’s workers clearing the site was posted online after her tenure ended.

“I decided to donate the equipment I found and my wealth in the room,” he said in a speech on X, following the incident on TV.

“Apparently, neither I nor my advisors need a toilet.”

CCTV cameras caught workers in his office removing equipment that had been installed when he started working eight years ago.

In his statement on social media, Mr. Lima said that he paid for the renovation of the bathroom with his own money, so it is not the property of the council.

Lima said he followed the instructions of the Department of Justice, which indicated that all privately installed weapons should be removed.

He told Brazilian media G1 that the hydraulics in the building are “difficult”.

He said some of the equipment he bought for the office – such as the glass unit and industrial lighting – will remain in place of his predecessor.

Lima served as a New Party MP until January 1.

The 41-year-old lost his position to Adrilles Jorge, of the Brazilian Labor Party, in the 2024 elections.

In his opening speech on Monday, Jorge told G1 that his team will “use the public pan” until the situation is resolved.

“I went to the office and thought the construction was smart. But they pulled it all out,” he said.

“He also removed the toilet and the sink without saying anything [that she was going to take them out]. And it’s something he wouldn’t have said, or I wouldn’t have asked. “

The new President of the House, Mr. Ricardo Teixeira said that “appropriate measures” will be taken.