Government denies access to Lula’s expenses on foreign trips

The government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) denied a group of deputies access to details of his expenses during trips abroad, which would have already cost R$ 2.6 million from the corporate card to the public coffers and another R$ 6.6 million to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Last Wednesday (19), the People’s Gazette had already reported that the Transparency Portal maintains secrecy about some of the expenses.

The request made by federal deputy Adriana Ventura (Novo-SP) with ten other parliamentarians asked the Civil House for access to the data. However, according to the dispatch to which the report had access (see in full), the group was informed that these records are classified as “reserved” because they put “at risk the safety of the president and vice president” and family members.

The Civil House explained that other expenses under the attribution of the Secretariat of Administration, such as support services, telephony and international travel insurance, are public and are made available after the rendering of accounts is completed. The same occurs with vehicle rental expenses, per diems and airline tickets.

The ministry also stated that deputies and senators may summon “ministers or any holders of bodies directly subordinated to the presidency to provide, personally, information on a previously determined matter”. And, still, that the boards of directors of the Chamber and of the Senate can forward requests requesting more information.

Among the expenses that may be made public are BRL 5.4 million on the trip to China and BRL 1.2 million to the United Arab Emirates in April. Of the total R$6.6 million, the government spent R$3.2 million on accommodation, R$1.3 million on car rental and R$500,000 on interpreters.

The trip to the United Kingdom for the coronation of King Charles III, in May, cost BRL 3 million.

On the other hand, the government’s Transparency Portal does not detail what the president’s corporate card expenses were. Until the month of March, the last month with values ​​made public, there are expenses made by the Administration Secretariat that reach R$ 73 thousand in just one payment, three others of R$ 70 thousand each, among others (see in full). The information is protected by secrecy.