Brazilian mayor who ran town via WhatsApp wanted for corruption

Whatsapp is a popular app that’s used to chat and send photos to friends and family around the world. It’s also proven to be a useful tool to run a city.

An arrest warrant has been issued for the mayor of a Brazilian town, who’s accused of taking funds from the school system and running civic business via Whatsapp, far from her constituency. Talk about working remotely.

Despite being the mayor of Bom Jardim, located in Northeastern state of Maranhao, Lidiane Leite is accused of living a lush lifestyle in Sao Luis, which is 275 km away. Maranhao is considered to be one of the country’s poorest states.

An arrest warrant has been issued for the 25-year-old and her boyfriend, Beto Rocha, who held the role of her main adviser. In 2012, Rocha was forbidden from running for mayor due to alleged corruption, so Leite took over and was elected.

“She was too young and inexperienced when she took office,” her lawyer, Carlos Barros told the BBC. “She lacked confidence and delegated many tasks to Mr. Rocha.”

When they broke up earlier this year, Rocha resigned from his role of advisor.

Leite’s believed to have gone into hiding after her name appeared in a federal investigation, titled Operation Eden, into the misuse of state educational funds. It pointed to evidence that $4-million in funds had vanished from Bom Jardim’s schools, leading the city’s already struggling education system to collapse, with teachers not receiving payment.

The warrant for Leite’s arrest was issued last week and her former deputy was sworn in as the new mayor.

A state judge said that if Leite does not turn herself in by Tuesday, an international arrest warrant would be sought.