Codevasf turbine Bahia, target of PT and leader of the centrão – 05/22/2023 – Politics

Codevasf favored the state of Bahia in the allocation of machinery, vehicles and equipment in the first three months of the Lula government, in the midst of a dispute over control of the state-owned company between the PT and one of the leaders of the centrão, federal deputy Elmar Nascimento (União Brasil- BA).

In the first three months of the PT administration, Bahia alone received products that add up to 39% of the value delivered in 2023 by the company: R$ 41.8 million of the R$ 106 million used for this purpose.

In the same period last year, then under the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), the state ranked fourth in the ranking of amounts distributed, with donations totaling around R$ 10 million. However, at the end of 2022, Bahia shared the leadership with Minas Gerais, with 17% of the total amount of donations each.

In addition to Bahia, Codevasf’s area of ​​activity covers 14 other states and the Federal District.

In 2023, Minas Gerais ranked second, with 19% of the total (R$ 19.2 million). Pernambuco and Goiás received 12% each.

Codevasf (Company for the Development of the São Francisco and Parnaíba Valleys) claims to distribute according to demands and amendments.

A Sheet analyzed the donations made by the state-owned company based on documents published by the report in the Pinpoint tool.

The preferential allocation of equipment in Bahia comes amid the political dispute in the state over the company’s local superintendencies, which was handed over to the center by Bolsonaro in exchange for political support.

Deputies from the PT and União Brasil, groups that have polarized Bahian politics since the 1990s, are vying for the leadership of Codevasf headquartered in Juazeiro and Bom Jesus da Lapa.

The two superintendencies continue to be commanded by allies of federal deputies Elmar Nascimento and Arthur Maia, both from União Brasil, appointed during the Jair Bolsonaro administration. But the Bahian PT claims its share and wants to have at least one of the two regional offices.

In an interview on Friday (19) in Salvador, Senator Jaques Wagner, leader of Lula’s government in the Senate, reaffirmed the election and said he considered it reasonable that the superintendencies be divided between Lula’s historic allies and new allies in Congress.

“The government [Lula] it’s compositional. There are two superintendencies, they kept one, it is clear that our traditional base of support, which is not just the PT, wants to keep the other. It’s a new government, it has to have a new face,” said the senator.

The battle for positions has the background of municipal elections in 2024 in Bahia. The regional leadership of Codevasf is seen as an asset to release funds and equipment for mayors or allied political leaders, increasing the power of influence of deputies.

For the deputies of União Brasil, who are opposed to Governor Jerônimo Rodrigues (PT), maintaining command of the local leaders of Codevasf serves as a counterpoint to the strength of the state public machine, especially in small and poorer cities.

The PT’s election is for the superintendence of Bom Jesus da Lapa, today under the influence of Arthur Maia. The name presented for the position is that of the sociologist Jonas Paulo, former president of the PT in Bahia.

But União Brasil has one trump card: Arthur Maia is quoted to assume the presidency of the CPI on January 8, a position of influence that could make the Lula government avoid picking a parochial fight.

At the beginning of the Lula government, in January, PT governors of Bahia, Ceará, Piauí and Rio Grande do Norte even carried out a joint offensive to appoint the new national head of Codevasf. The position, however, was maintained with Marcelo Moreira, appointed under Bolsonaro and sponsored by Elmar Nascimento.

The deputy from União Brasil, who had his name barred from the nomination to be a government minister, is one of the obstacles that Lula has to guarantee the party’s votes in Congress.

This year, Codevasf made at least five millionaire donations, that is, more than R$ 1 million in a single donation term (document that formalizes the distributions).

The municipality of Gandu, in Bahia, with a population of around 30,000 people, was one of the beneficiaries. It received three backhoe loaders and a motor grader for a total amount of R$ 1.7 million in 2023.

The city is governed by Leo de Neto (Avante), a PT ally in the state. Last month, he posted a video on his networks celebrating the arrival of the equipment, with thanks to federal deputy Neto Carletto (PP).

Another municipality that is among the most benefited in the state is Campo Formoso, whose mayor is Elmo Nascimento (União Brasil), brother of Elmar Nascimento. The city and entities headquartered there received a grader, backhoe, tractor, water tanks and a pickup truck.

Last year, the Sheet showed that Codevasf donated and installed cisterns on the eve of the election in homes marked with Elmar propaganda stickers.

Despite the initial intention, the Lula government intensified some problems that existed in the state-owned company during the Bolsonaro administration.

Despite giving free equipment to city halls, in Bahia, at least 70% of the donations made by the regional office were directed to private entities such as residents’ associations, community associations and cooperatives, among others.

The transfer of goods to entities that are not part of the public sphere makes inspection difficult. An audit by the CGU (Controladoria-Geral da União) found equipment in private properties, including that of a councilor, in addition to finding that rent was being charged.

Donations include high-value equipment. Among the most expensive items donated are 47 backhoe loaders (whose unit value exceeds R$ 300,000), 43 tractors (approximate value of R$ 180,000 each) and 7 motor graders (which cost more than R$ 600,000 each).

The city of Araci was one of the cities that most received equipment in the state, with R$ 2.4 million in donations. It is governed by Keinha (PDT), also an ally of the Lula administration.

However, most of the amounts sent to the city went to associations, a total of R$ 1.6 million. Four entities even received a backhoe each – the equipment is valued at R$ 370,000.

Among the entities, the one that received the most items in donations was the Ceraíma Project Irrigation Agricultural Cooperative, in Guanambi (BA), totaling R$ 557,000. This entity’s area of ​​activity coincides with Codevasf’s original vocation, which has been gradually abandoned.

according to Sheet showed, with the increase of these entities and with money from parliamentary amendments, the equipment ends up with groups ranging from religious to prospectors.

Last year, in just one of the Bahia superintendencies, that of Bom Jesus da Lapa, 510 institutions in 156 municipalities received machinery and equipment.

Asked about the fact of privileging the state of Bahia in the allocation of goods, Codevasf stated that “donations occur in accordance with demands identified in each state and with the volume of resources from parliamentary amendments allocated for this purpose”.

“It should be noted that Bahia has the largest number of federal deputies, the largest number of inhabitants and the largest territorial extension among the states that make up the Northeast region”, completed the state-owned company.

Wanted by the report to comment on the matter, deputy Elmar Nascimento did not respond.

The report was produced in partnership with Google from collections of documents published in the Pinpoint tool