Apex Summit spends BRL 1.4 million on international travel

President Jorge Viana, directors and managers of Apex-Brasil spent R$ 1.43 million on international trips until the beginning of May. The president’s trip to Beijing cost BRL 192,000, BRL 142,000 of which included his ticket. The expenses of all public servants with trips abroad reached R$ 4.4 million. The “institutional missions” totaled R$ 750 thousand.

The most expensive trip, involving nine servers and 10 employees, was to Dubai, in February – a total of BRL 853,000. Manager Paula Soares’ expenses on this trip reached R$73,000, R$53,000 of which with airfare. The seven most expensive tickets on this trip cost an average of R$50,000. Ten occasional collaborators attended the same event. Tickets for three of them cost R$20,000. One paid BRL 13,000 and the other six, only BRL 11,000.

There is a lack of transparency in disclosing data. Apex, an export and investment promotion agency, informs only that the trips are for fairs and events, business or institutional meetings, without detailing what the leading servants do or the results of the mission. In response to a request from the blog, the agency informed the details of the trips. They were business trips, but ticket prices are much higher than those recorded for trips by deputies and senators, for example.

In China, Viana says who deforested the Amazon

On the trip to Beijing, at the end of March, Jorge Viana was accompanied by the Business director, Ana Paula Repezza; and the regional manager, Jacy Braga. The ticket for each one of them cost R$ 69 thousand. All expenses for the entourage, involving tickets, accommodation and per diem, in that “institutional mission” reached BRL 416,000.

On that trip, Viana stated that, in the last 50 years, 21% of the Amazon was deforested. “I want to give very objective numbers. I said that 84 million hectares were deforested. What are these areas being used for? 67 million hectares for livestock; 6 million for grain farming,” he said.

Senator Tereza Cristina (PP-MS), former Minister of Agriculture in the Bolsonaro government, reacted: “Apex has always promoted exports, where agro is champion. What Apex is this that accuses agro of deforesting the Amazon in front of our biggest customers in China? It’s very foolish,” she said on Twitter.

Viana replied: “You are catching yourself in misinformation. My speech here in China was in the sense of promoting agro and seeking to promote our exports and attract investments”.

Brussels, Milan, Paris…

The Apex president traveled to Brussels, Milan, Paris, Lisbon and Porto, from April 16th to 17th, in the company of Corporate Management director, Floriano Pesaro, and manager Antônio Igor Brandão. Pesaro and Brandão spent BRL 38,000 on accommodation – each one of them. The entourage’s expenses totaled R$ 282,000.

Jorge Viana also made parish trips. He was once in São Paulo and twice in Rio de Janeiro, but made four flights to Rio Branco, his electoral stronghold. All of them went to “business meetings”. The most expensive ticket, to Rio Branco and Rio de Janeiro, cost R$7,800. He was governor of Acre and mayor of the state capital.

Manager Maria Luiza Wittenberg and analyst Marcelo Souza were in Osaka in Tokyo from April 10 to 19, on an “institutional mission”, incurring an expense of BRL 222,000. Souza’s ticket cost R$57,000. Tickets from Wittenberg, which also passed through Milan, totaled R$ 72,000.

Journalists and opinion makers in the entourage

Apex detailed the details of the trips mentioned in the article to the blog. Regarding the event in Dubai, the agency stated that it participated in the Gulfood Fair, which takes place every year in Dubai. Nine employees were seconded by the agency to work in the organization and participation in the fair, but there were 10 more “occasional collaborators”. “ApexBrasil always promotes press tripsinviting journalists and other opinion makers to participate in fairs and events”, justified the agency.

Asked by the blog about the difference in prices for airline tickets, which ranged from R$ 11,000 to R$ 53,000, Apex stated that “the difference in air ticket fares is due to the fact that issuing tickets to servers and invited to comply with Apex’s normative instruction approved by the agency’s Deliberative Council. The variation in prices between groups is due to the time when tickets are issued and, therefore, follow the rates charged by airlines”.

Regarding the trip to China, the agency stated that a delegation led by President Jorge Viana carried out a technical visit by the business mission to China. Viana visited the headquarters of Alibaba, in Beijing, and participated in the Brazil-China Economic Forum.

Apex office visit in Brussels

On the Apex president’s trip to Brussels, Milan and Portugal, the agency stated that the entourage visited the Brazilian stand at the Furniture Fair in Milan; went to the Friends Of The Earth Showroom and visited the Brazilian Brands exhibition.

In Portugal, he participated in the Summit, accompanying President Lula. He held a meeting with the president of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa; and with the Prime Minister, Antônio Costa. In Porto, he participated in the Portugal – Brazil Business Forum, with the signing of memorandums of understanding by Apex.

In Paris, he was at the headquarters of Business France, for work meetings. The work agenda also included business meetings and a visit to the Apex-Brasil office in Brussels.

Apex compares with Bolsonaro government spending

The blog highlighted that all Apex international trips in 2023 total R$ 4.4 million until the beginning of May. Also considering national trips, it is R$ 5.3 million. And he asked Apex if these expenses were not an exaggeration.

The agency replied that, “regardless of the amount spent, strictly related to the commitments assumed by the agency in promoting Brazilian products abroad and in attracting investments, fulfilling its essential mission, it should be clarified that, in the first quarter of 2023, compared to the same period By 2022, there was an 84% reduction in expenses with administrative travel and a 67% reduction in promotional and institutional travel”. The blog published an article in June 2022 about Apex international travel.

Questioned about the lack of transparency in the disclosure of travel-related data, Apex stated that “All information on travel undertaken by Apex-Brasil directors and employees can be found in the travel expenses link, on the Transparency Portal, thus respecting , the Freedom of Information Act”.