Cláudio Castro has already earned 3 salaries in daily travel – 05/14/2023 – Politics

The pace of international travel by the governor of Rio de Janeiro, Cláudio Castro (PL), has already surpassed the beginning of the mandate of his predecessors Wilson Witzel and Sérgio Cabral, the latter marked by missions abroad.

Castro completed this Saturday (13), in New York, 24 days away from the Guanabara Palace this year due to official missions abroad. At the same time in office, Cabral had been absent for 17 days, and Witzel, 9. Luiz Fernando Pezão did not travel.

The increase in the frequency of international trips is not exclusive to the governor. Data from the Fiscal Transparency portal show that the Castro administration has already spent R$ 1.1 million this year on per diems for servants on official missions abroad. The amount also exceeds the expenditure until May in 2007 and 2019, the beginning of the Cabral and Witzel administrations.

Castro has already received R$ 48,000 in travel allowances in his bank account. The amount is equivalent to three net monthly salaries of the governor.

In a note, the government states that the official missions “aim to attract more investments and partnerships to accelerate the development of the economy of Rio de Janeiro and also increase the flow of tourists in the state, generating more jobs and income for the population”.

“Regarding travel costs, it should be noted that the governor always returns to Rio de Janeiro on the last day of the trip in the country where he is on a mission, to avoid extra expenses with per diems. In addition, the governor does not amend the endings with the international schedules and stays in the same place as the team, to emphasize the character of the trip: work.”

In fact, in none of the four trips he made abroad (two to New York, in addition to London and Lisbon) did the governor stay at the destination for the weekend. Return shipments took place on Thursdays, Fridays or Saturdays, according to official data.

Such as Sheet showed in 2019, Witzel received per diem from public coffers for a weekend in Buenos Aires with his wife, Helena Witzel, without an official agenda. He returned the resources to the state.

The same happened with Sérgio Cabral, who received per diems for four free days in Europe in 2008. He also refunded the amount after a report by Sheet.

So far, Castro has not suffered, like his predecessors, from political wear and tear as a result of his travels. However, a strong ally has already starred in scenes criticized by members of the government itself.

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Rodrigo Bacellar (PL) was recorded at the Michellin-starred Hakkasan restaurant drinking wine and singing in the streets of London. He was part of the governor’s delegation, which was not at the dinner. The images recorded by promoter David Brazil were released on social networks.

In a note, the deputy said that the dinner took place on the night of the last day of the trip, after the end of official commitments.

The pace of trips abroad by the Rio de Janeiro governor accelerated at the end of last year, after being re-elected to the post in the first round.

The international missions would begin in October, in the midst of the second round of the dispute between Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and Jair Bolsonaro (PL) for the Presidency of the Republic. The governor, however, canceled the trip after complaints from allies of the former president, who had Castro’s support.

A week after the election, Castro went on vacation for ten days. Four days after returning, he sailed for Oxford (England) for a five-day mission.

In January of this year, the governor spent a week in New York. In February, he took a four-day trip to Lisbon. In April, it was six days away for the mission in London. This weekend in May, he wrapped up his six-day engagements in New York again.

Castro met with businessmen from different areas abroad, such as energy, green economy and tourism. He also participated in two Lide meetings, held by former São Paulo governor João Doria, in New York and London.

In addition to attracting business, international trips are a way for Castro to expand the range of political relationships after his election victory.

The governor took over the Guanabara Palace after Witzel’s removal and focused the buffer mandate on regional alliances to guarantee him continuity in office and support for the campaign. The goal now is to expand his image as a more national leader.

Travel aims to attract investment, says government

The governor’s press office stated, in a note, that “the international trips carried out by the government are aimed at attracting more investments and partnerships to accelerate the development of the state’s economy and also increase the flow of tourists in the state, generating more jobs and income. for the population”.

“The serious economic crisis generated by previous governments, and aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic, led the state government to one of the worst budget forecasts in history, with a deficit of over R$ 20 billion and a large drop in revenue. carried out by the current management in the economic area, the state of Rio de Janeiro managed to reverse the situation and bring accounts up to date”, says the note.

“The international missions allow the state to show investors from the most different countries how much Rio de Janeiro has evolved and once again has a credible business environment, in addition to legal and regulatory security.”

The note states that the governor always returns on the day of his last schedule abroad to avoid spending more on per diems.

“In addition, the governor does not combine weekends with international schedules, and stays in the same place as the team, to emphasize the nature of the trip: work.”

The Guanabara Palace also declared that the values ​​received by Castro in daily rates are fixed by state decree.