Opinion of the Public Ministry of Accounts suggests maintenance of injunction that prevents the sale of Corsan

The legal imbroglio regarding the privatization of Companhia Riograndense de Saneamento (Corsan) continues to extend, more than four months after the auction held for the control of the company. The most recent development of the case was the opinion of the Public Ministry of Accounts (MPC) of the State of Rio Grande do Sul this Tuesday (2), which advises that the injunction granted by the State Court of Auditors (TCE) which makes it impossible to sign the state-owned company’s sale agreement.
The company Aegea was the only one to present a proposal for the sanitation company in an event that took place in December last year, with a bid of BRL 4.15 billion, which represented a premium of 1.15% in relation to the stipulated initial bid. Regarding the opinion granted by the MPC, the disclosure director of the Union of Workers in the Water Purification and Distribution Industries and in Sewage Services of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (Sindiágua/RS), Rogério Ferraz, affirms that the document takes a weight from above the workers. He emphasizes that the union is raising possible flaws in the privatization process and the opinion signed by attorney general Geraldo Costa da Camino corroborates the entity’s objections, such as the company’s sale value and the sewage coverage claimed by Corsan and the one that effectively the company presents.
“The government is hiding finished works, which have already been contracted, in order to try to convince public opinion that the price for Corsan is right”, accuses Ferraz. The member of Sindiágua/RS reinforces that the Public Ministry of Accounts is a technical body and its position is very symbolic in this debate. In a note, the State Attorney General’s Office (PGE) states that it is aware of the opinion of the Public Ministry of Accounts and “continues to monitor the process with the aim of revising the precautionary decision that prohibits the signing of the contract”.