TCU will investigate purchases without bidding in Lula’s ministry

The Federal Court of Auditors will investigate purchases made without bidding by the Ministry of Integration and Regional Development (MDIR) in the first months of this year, following a complaint by Deputy Julia Zanatta (PL-SC).

According to the deputy, the ministry transformed the exception provided for by law into a rule to spend, in the first six months of this year alone, almost the entire budget of the portfolio for 2023: R$ 510 million on acquisitions without bidding. The folder denies the accusation and says that of the 2023 budget executed so far, 79% were through bids.

The advisory of the Federal Court of Auditors confirmed the existence of the process, which will be reported by Minister Jhonatan de Jesus. There is still no decision on the case and no scheduled date for appreciation in plenary.

In a letter sent to the Court of Auditors, the deputy states that the total allocated to purchases and hiring in the ministry led by Waldez Góes (PDT) represents 97% of the budget for 2023, and exceeds the expenses of the entire government of former President Jair Bolsonaro , of 17.6% in acquisitions without bidding during the four-year mandate, between 2019 and 2022.

Deputy Júlia Zanatta wants the TCU to investigate the purchases, in addition to the “stratospheric” value. According to the parliamentarian, the Ministry of Integration and Regional Development spent much more than other departments in the Lula government.

“In that same period, while the Ministry of Defense, Infrastructure and Social Security used respectively 5.17%, 10.62% and 0.89% in hiring without bidding, the value of hiring without competition reaches almost 97%” , informs.

Court of Auditors will investigate expenses

The Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) oversees public spending by the government and direct and indirect administrations and, based on the letter sent by the parliamentarian, will investigate the alleged irregularities pointed out by Zanatta.

The norms for public purchases allow for waiver of bidding only in exceptional cases, such as, for example, in emergency situations, such as wars, public calamities and compromise of national security.

In an interview with People’s Gazette, congresswoman Júlia Zanata said that she asked the TCU for an audit because inspection is part of the functions of the parliamentarian. In addition, the deputy filed a request for information with the ministry itself, to find out detailed information about the accounts and alleged irregularities.

The Ministry of Integration and Regional Development is headed by Waldez de Góes (PDT), who governed Amapá for four terms and is sponsored by Senator Davi Alcolumbre (União Brasil – AP).

Ministry refutes information

wanted by People’s Gazette, the Ministry of Regional Development said in a note that the information on expenses due to dismissal or unenforceability in 2023 is not true. The folder also claims that there is no support for the numbers or comparisons with the previous government.

Still according to the ministry, “of the 2023 budget implemented so far, 79% was through bidding, and the forecast is that this percentage will reach 85% by the end of the year, in December”.

The ministry also pointed out that “transfers for humanitarian aid actions, restoration of essential services and reconstruction of damaged infrastructure in cases of emergency situation and state of public calamity are not classified as waiver or non-requirement in the Managerial Treasury”.

According to data from the folder, transfers for these Civil Defense and Protection situations correspond to R$ 246 million until June of this year. “States and municipalities receiving these resources are responsible for the execution procedures”, says the ministry.

Still according to the ministry, the rest of the budget, used in the modalities of non-requirement and waiver, represents R$ 396 million, of which 98% were passed on to other Federal Government bodies through Terms of Decentralized Execution (TED). The folder also said that “in this case, the bodies that receive the resources are responsible for the bidding and contracting processes”.

One of the examples is the Carro-Pipa Operation (OCP), with the decentralization of MIDR resources to the Brazilian Army. The objective of the Program is to bring drinking water to cities affected by drought in the semi-arid region. Since the beginning of the year, according to the department’s advisory, R$ 211 million have already been transferred to OCP, which corresponds to 63% of transfers in this modality.