State sees ghost work with budget indicated by minister – 03/15/2023 – Power

Suspected of corruption in investigation by the Federal Police, the construction company Construservice was barred from bidding by the federal state-owned Codevasf (Company for the Development of the São Francisco and Parnaíba Valleys) for the next two years.

The construction company became the target of the Federal Police after the Sheet revealed, last year, she became runner-up in competitions at Codevasf, but was already being investigated for the use of oranges, in addition to having businessman Eduardo José Barros Costa, known as Eduardo DP, as a hidden partner.

According to the state company, the reason for the punishment is the fact that Construservice did not carry out a paving work in concrete blocks budgeted at R$ 1.3 million, in Lago da Pedra (MA).

The service would be carried out with funds indicated in 2019 by the current Minister of Communications, Juscelino Filho (União Brasil-MA), when he held the position of federal deputy.

The PF still suspects that Construservice paid bribes of R$ 250,000 to Julimar Alves da Silva Filho, a retired manager of Codevasf in Maranhão.

Suspicion of corruption is assessed by internal affairs within Codevasf. The punishment applied to the company considered only the works that were not carried out.

The contract with the contractor was signed in October 2020. Codevasf also signed three other amendments, extending the deadline for delivery of the work in the interior of Maranhão from October 2021 to the end of January 2023.

On February 1, the state-owned company published the penalty in the Official Gazette, on the grounds of “total non-performance of services”.

The company set a fine of R$ 133,500, corresponding to 10% of the contract value, in addition to the “temporary suspension of participation in bidding and impediment to contract with Codevasf, for a period of two years”.

The state-owned company did not disburse the contract amounts. Construservice can file an appeal and try to overturn the penalty.

“Throughout the contractual execution, the company requested three term amendments, mainly claiming difficulties during the pandemic period.

Part of Codevasf’s work done in Maranhão was supervised by manager Julimar Filho. These contracts are now being reassessed by the state-owned company.

Construservice was second in Codevasf’s ranking of victories in 2021, with 10 bids. It was second only to another contractor in the interior of Maranhão, Engefort, which won more than half of the auctions.

As shown to SheetEngefort is identified by the TCU audit as the main beneficiary of an alleged cartel of companies.

The contractor, who denies any type of irregularity in the contracts, even won some of the state-owned company’s bids in disputes against a shell company registered in the name of the brother of its partners.

In April of last year, the report by Sheet went to the state of Tocantins and found precarious Construservice works in the region.

In the municipality of Araguatins (TO), 620 km from Palmas, the company’s asphalting works had sections so defective that they exposed drivers to the risk of accidents. Residents reported that the pavement softened and caved in on hot days.

In a stretch asphalted by Construservice, residents complained that the softened pavement caused many motorcyclists to fall to the ground when parking their vehicles, since the feet of the motorcycles entered the asphalt, and they lost their balance.

In the municipality of Sítio Novo do Tocantins (627 km from Palmas), residents of the town of Macaúba complained that the work on the access road to the locality had been paralyzed for over a month, leaving large spaces between the already completed sections.

After the publication of the report, the works were resumed, according to the residents of the region.

Businessman Eduardo DP, a hidden partner at Construservice, was arrested in July 2022 during the Federal Police’s Odoacro operation, which targeted suspected fraud in city hall agreements signed with Codevasf funds.

In the same action, the federal police seized around R$1.3 million in cash in the businessman’s properties, in addition to luxury items, such as imported watches.

Juscelino Filho denies responsibility for the ghost work

In a note, the Ministry of Communications said that the responsibility for the work does not lie with Juscelino Filho. He indicated the budget for the service when he was a parliamentarian.

“As with any and all parliamentary amendments, the responsibility for the work lies with the contractor and the contractor, and not with the author of the amendment. this type of conclusion is nothing more than an empty pursuit, based on distortions and untruths”, said the folder.

When contacted, Construservice’s lawyer did not comment.

Codevasf was delivered by President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) to the center and is maintained that way by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) in exchange for support in Congress.

As shown to Sheetthe state-owned company this year signed contracts worth around BRL 650 million inherited from Bolsonaro, which lead to the current management a series of contractors and conduct suspected of cartel practice in paving works.

The Ministry of Integration and Regional Development said in a note released on Sunday (12) that “the government is also reviewing the contracts inherited from the previous administration, seeking to reduce costs and adapt to the public policy objectives of the current government”.

In a note about the signing of the contracts inherited from the Bolsonaro administration, Codevasf precisely cites the penalty applied to Construservice to state that the state-owned company’s contracts are “strictly fulfilled”.

“In hiring processes, companies are treated equally and must necessarily meet all the qualification conditions established by law. fine and with the suspension of the rights to participate in bidding and to sign contracts with the Institution”, said the company.