A former city councilor in Brazil has returned the toilet and two sinks she removed from her office after losing re-election.
A video of one of Janaína Lima’s employees removing objects was posted online after her term as a councilor in Sao Paulo ended.
“I decided to donate the equipment that I purchased with my own funds to the chamber,” she said in a statement on Xu, following a social media backlash.
– Obviously, neither I nor my advisers need a toilet.
CCTV cameras caught employees in her office removing objects that had been installed when she took office eight years ago.
In a statement posted on social media, Lima said the bathroom renovations were paid for with her own money and were therefore not property belonging to the council.
Lima said she followed the legal department’s guidance, which indicated that all personally installed resources should be removed.
She told Brazilian media outlet G1 that the hydraulics in the building were “sensitive”.
She added that other elements she bought for the office – such as the glass partition and industrial-style light fixtures – will remain in place for her predecessor.
Lima served as an adviser to the New Party until January 1.
The 41-year-old lost her seat to Adrilles Jorge of Brazil’s Labor Party in the 2024 election.
At his inauguration on Monday, Jorge joked to G1 that his team would “use a shared potty” until the situation was resolved.
“I visited the office and I thought the architecture was brilliant. But she took everything out,” he said.
“They even removed the toilet and sink. She didn’t say [that she was going to take them out]. And that’s something neither she would say, nor would I ask.”
The new Speaker of the House, Ricardo Teixeira, said that “appropriate measures” would be taken.
