R$1.2 million paid 20 days before the show while Petrolina charged R$900,000: court voids Gusttavo Lima's São Luís contract and orders R$300,000 refund

A court in the Brazilian state of Maranhão on Friday (9) annulled the R$1.2 million contract signed by the City of São Luís for Gusttavo Lima's concert celebrating the city's 413th anniversary, held on September 8, 2025. Judge Douglas de Melo Martins, of the capital's court for diffuse and collective interests, ordered the hired company to return R$300,000 to public coffers, plus inflation adjustment and interest.

The figure is not random: it is exactly the difference between what São Luís paid and the R$900,000 that Petrolina, in Pernambuco, spent on the same artist. The judge found that the city's culture department ran a weak price survey, relying on invoices from private events in Sairé (PE), Brasília and Rio de Janeiro while ignoring the Pernambuco contract. The early payment also weighed in: the full fee was committed, processed and ordered paid on August 20, 2025, about 20 days before the show, even though the draft contract called for half on signing and half on the day of the performance.

The judge did not order a full refund because the concert took place and drew an audience. The lawsuit was filed by two citizens against the city, the company and Mayor Eduardo Braide, who was dropped from the case because no individual wrongdoing was tied to him. According to g1, the city's legal office said it had not yet been notified, and the company behind the show could not be reached.