Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG)| Photo: Foca Lisboa/UFMG

The Federal Court has provisionally suspended the result of a contest for an assistant professor at the Department of Genetics, Ecology and Evolution of the Institute of Biological Sciences (ICB) of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). The decision is a response to a request from the Federal Public Ministry (MPF), made after the discovery that the first place in the selection would have helped in the preparation of the test. The decision was published on March 3 of this year.

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According to the MPF, the professor (later approved in first place) was the head of the Department of General Biology in February 2018, when he worked in the organization of the event, defining criteria for the vacancy, area of ​​knowledge, candidate profile and requirements for evaluation.

The call for tenders was published in August 2019 and, shortly afterwards, the professor was dismissed as head of the department. After a few days, he signed up for the contest, and in December 2022, he finished the process in first place.

According to the Public Prosecutor Adailton Ramos do Nascimento, the professor’s participation in the contest that he himself formatted violates the duty of equality of conditions required in selections for public office. In addition to having violated principles of public administration, such as morality, impersonality, legality and isonomy. The action is still pending in the Federal Court in Minas Gerais and the preliminary decision can be appealed.

The Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), in a note, reported that as soon as there was questioning by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, it suspended the contest and asked for reviews of the process. “UFMG accepted all referrals from the Public Prosecutor’s Office and is collaborating with the investigation of the complaint. As a public institution at the service of society, the University is guided by the fairness of its selection processes and makes efforts to ensure that the case is duly clarified”.