Mayor will have five working days to present documents denied to the InspectoratePhoto: Reproduction/Internet
Published 04/29/2024 18:45
The mayor of São José do Barreiro (Vale do ParaÃba), Alexandre de Siqueira Braga (PSD), Lê Braga, who was arrested by the Federal Police in February after using official vehicles to go to and from Guarulhos airport – in a trip to enjoy the joys of the Porto Seguro carnival, in Bahia, was fined R$ 17,680.00. The sanction was applied by counselor Dimas Ramalho, from the São Paulo State Court of Auditors.
São José do Barreiro, with around 4 thousand inhabitants, is 268 kilometers from the capital of São Paulo.
Responsible for the process that takes care of the municipality’s accounts for the 2024 financial year, Dimas Ramalho had notified the mayor to explain which cars were used, the reason for the trip, the distance traveled, who traveled in his company and who replaced him during his absence.
The city of São José do Barreiro informed the Court of Auditors that a minibus from the Municipal Health Department and an Ônix from the mayor’s office were used on an estimated journey of 300 km to take the head of the local Executive to Guarulhos airport, two municipal secretaries and four other people who are not part of the staff.
Part of the requested information was not answered. The municipality, through its lawyer, said that it is up to the mayor alone to “clarify the reason why he used the official vehicle on that trip” and that the city hall “has no elements to refute the notes made by the inspectorate”
Information about the consumption of diesel oil on the mayor’s trip to Momo’s festivities was also not detailed to the Court of Auditors.
Lê Braga was arrested by PF agents on the night of February 18 on the Dutra highway, near the municipality of Pindamonhangaba, Moreira César toll booth. Investigated for embezzlement, he was released a few days later.
Given the silence of the mayor, who did not attend the process to clarify the facts even after having been notified five times by orders since February 26th, councilor Dimas Ramalho decided to fine him 500 UFESPs, which is equivalent to R$ 17,680, 00″, informed the State Court of Auditors.
To impose the sanction, Ramalho considered that the mayor is “personally implicated in the improprieties raised in the case”.
For the counselor it is “impossible” for him (Alexandre Braga) not to be aware of the notifications from the Court of Auditors, “taking into account the size of the municipality and the clamor of the facts, which makes him directly responsible for the omission in the duty to report” .
The fact that the mayor, despite not speaking in the process, signed the power of attorney to the private lawyer hired to defend the municipality also weighed heavily on the Accounts Councilor’s decision.
In addition to the fine, Dimas Ramalho’s order gives a new deadline of five working days for the mayor to present the denied documents to the Inspection. The counselor also ordered copies of the decision to be sent to the Federal Police, the Federal Public Ministry, the State Public Ministry, the Federal Audit Court, the Public Accounts Ministry, and the Chamber of São José do Barreiro.
