CGU finds farofa asphalt in works worth R$ 100 mi from Codevasf – 02/17/2023 – Politics

Investigations by the CGU (Comptroller General of the Union) on Codevasf’s paving contracts caught a combo of irregularities in three states that includes asphalt that crumbles like farofa and forms craters, in addition to make-up in the rendering of accounts and signs of overbilling.

Codevasf (Companhia de Desenvolvimento dos Vales do São Francisco e do Parnaíba), a state-owned company handed over to the center by Jair Bolsonaro (PL) in exchange for support, is already being investigated for suspected corruption in paving works.

Now, the Lula government (PT) is considering keeping engineer Marcelo Moreira in charge of Codevasf and changing superintendents in the states. Moreira was nominated by deputy Elmar Nascimento (União Brasil-BA) to preside over the company in 2019, at the beginning of the Bolsonaro government, and remains in office until today.

CGU reports involve contracts signed in recent years that, together, reach R$ 100 million, in the states of Bahia, Sergipe and Amapá.

Among the companies in charge of part of the evaluated contracts is Engefort, the champion of Codevasf paving funds and suspected of having benefited from a cartel of companies that would defraud disputes by the state-owned company.

One of the contracts entered into by the company in Bahia, signed in January 2020, was evaluated by the Controllership in works carried out between June and October of last year.

The physical inspection of the works, carried out last year in the cities of Campo Formoso, Feira de Santana, Filadélfia, São Domingos and Senhor do Bonfim, brings up a wide range of problems.

The auditors found holes, cracks, sinking of sidewalks due to lack of drainage, detachment of gutters, among others. In some images, the paving appears to come apart.

According to the investigation, there was still authorization to start services without an approved executive project and paving works were carried out on streets that, before, needed engineering interventions related to the drainage of rainwater and sewage.

The CGU points out that the physical and photographic follow-up reports presented do not reflect the state of the works. The agency also points out overbilling that totals R$ 1.2 million – an amount equivalent to about 10% of the R$ 11.3 million contract.

According to the CGU, after the audit, Codevasf recognized that there were undue payments to the company. For this reason, collection forms were presented requesting the return of almost BRL 2.4 million.

Another investigation, about works in municipalities in Sergipe, verified several contracts by sampling that add up to R$ 37 million and found problems similar to those found in Bahia.

Once again, the audit brings several photos of asphalt in poor quality, with craters in some spots. One of the problems encountered was the thickness of the asphalt layer being smaller than what was paid for.

One of the inspections, for improvements in streets in the municipality of Lagarto, verified an average thickness of 3.43 cm, much smaller than the projected and paid for, of 5 cm.

Document analysis of one of the contracts found inconsistencies in the works diary, with generic information and without places where the services were performed.

The auditors drew attention to identical data, such as the same professionals in all stages of the work, as well as the same climatic conditions, “recording no day of occurrence of rain in almost two years of work”.

In contracts in Amapá, auditors also point out signs of overbilling. A spreadsheet presented reports BRL 1.4 million in overpricing, BRL 592 thousand in losses and BRL 1.9 million in overbilling.

“It should be noted that overpricing for quality is potentially harmful for the administration. This is because it causes expenses for the public authorities caused by the reduction of the useful life of the delivered product, which will demand the execution of maintenance in shorter intervals than those necessary, if they had carried out in the required quality standards”, says the CGU document.

The procedures for hiring companies for the works analyzed in the three reports took place from 2018 to 2021. The audits were released on the 10th of last year.

The state-owned company changed its vocation in the Bolsonaro administration and began to dispose of funds from parliamentary amendments in paving works and in the purchase of machinery, such as tractors.

During the Bolsonaro government, Codevasf also became the target of suspicions of corruption investigated by the Federal Police and of the performance of a cartel of companies, under analysis by the TCU (Tribunal de Contas da União).

The Lula government is considering keeping Moreira in charge of the state-owned company and changing superintendents in the states. The mayor, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), and senator Davi Alcolumbre (União Brasil-AP) defend the engineer’s permanence, according to parliamentarians and members of the government who follow the discussions.

Codevasf says it cooperates with inspection bodies

Questioned about the CGU’s notes, Codevasf stated that it operates in permanent cooperation with inspection and control bodies.

“Audit procedures are customary and aim at controlling and improving processes. The company maintains routines for the continuous improvement of its activities, with extensive analysis of notes and recommendations from control bodies”, he says, in a note.

The state company says that the actions and projects carried out serve the social interest and are undertaken with technical approaches. He also stated that the contracts are preceded by bidding procedures in electronic format, which seek to ensure economy, broad competition, efficiency and transparency in hiring.

“Instruments maintained by Codevasf are rigorously complied with. The execution of services is attested by inspectors after carrying out measurements and under the supervision of internal and external audits.”

The report also questioned Engefort about the conclusions in situations in which it is cited. The company stated that “it is observed that this is a preliminary document, arising from the need to assess whether Codevasf’s controls are adequate and sufficient to guarantee compliance with public road paving contracts”.

“The company Engefort Construtora was not summoned by this body to respond to any questions regarding the subject addressed, which is why it refrains from expressing its opinion at this moment. says the company, in a note.