Minister hid 'Carnival' from his agenda and paid photographer with public money

The minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, Márcio Macêdo (PT), used public money to pay for the trip of three civil servants to Aracaju where an off-season Carnival party was held at the end of last year. One of them was an official photographer from the Presidency of the Republic in charge of recording Macêdo's step by step during the festivities.

The private agenda took place between the 3rd and 5th of November. To justify the advisors' travel, the General Secretariat claimed that they would accompany Macêdo on a visit to an NGO whose headquarters, according to Federal Revenue data, is in a municipality neighboring Aracaju. However, the minister's official agenda did not record any missions during the period. Furthermore, he did not even post a photo of the meeting on his social networks – at the same time he published 28 images and a video of the festivities. Aracaju is Macedo's electoral stronghold.

When contacted, the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic informed that it will open an inquiry to investigate the case. The Public Prosecutor's Office at the Federal Audit Court (MPTCU) also asked the Federal Audit Court (TCU) to determine whether the resources were allocated irregularly.

The three civil servants had tickets and daily allowances paid at the behest of Lula's own minister, according to records on the Transparency Portal. The trip cost the public coffers R$18,559.27.

Photographer Bruno Fernandes da Silva, known as Bruno Peres, advisor Yuri Darlon Góis de Almeida and project manager Tereza Raquel Gonçalves Ferreira received R$ 3,656 in total daily wages. The rest refers to the passages. Bruno was the one who photographed the minister during the private agenda. The images published on Macêdo's social networks are credited to him. The photographer has a salary of R$11,306.90. It is the same amount received by Yuri, who is an advisor to the Ministry's National Youth Secretariat, and by Tereza, who is a project manager.

In one of the photos, the minister appears alongside the couple Lurian Lula da Silva and Danilo Segundo. She is the daughter of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT); he, pre-candidate for mayor of Aracaju for the Workers' Party.

The Renascer Para A Vida Institute, where Macêdo's agenda would have been held, is in the city of Nossa Senhora do Socorro, neighboring Aracaju. The NGO works to defend social rights. O Estadão He tried to contact the association on two numbers listed in the IRS, but received no response.

Public Ministry asked TCU to investigate whether trips were funded by public money

The MPTCU asked this Wednesday, 10th, that the president of the TCU, minister Bruno Dantas, investigate whether Macêdo's department used public money to pay for employees' tickets to Carnival out of season. The festivities funded by the treasury would have cost Macêdo's executive secretary her position, who refused to approve the departure of civil servants and was dismissed this Tuesday, the 9th.

In the representation, the deputy attorney general of the MPTCU Lucas Rocha Furtado asks that, if the irregularity is confirmed, the money used for the trips be reimbursed to the public coffers and that the Court of Auditors forward a complaint of administrative dishonesty.

“The purchase of tickets by Minister Márcio Macêdo to 'enjoy', with his companions, the out-of-season carnival festivities in his electoral stronghold, violates administrative morality and constitutes an evident misuse of purpose in the use of public resources. In the reported case, there was no public interest to be satisfied, but only the private interest of the minister and his sponsors, which ended up being paid for with the taxpayer's hard-earned money”, wrote the deputy attorney general.

Trips would have cost the job of number 2 in Macedo's portfolio

According to columnist Lauro Jardim, from the newspaper The globe the trip by Macêdo's advisors would have cost the job of number 2 at the General Secretariat. Executive secretary Maria Fernanda Ramos Coelho, who is a long-time servant of the Lula governments, reportedly had a disagreement with the minister after refusing to authorize resources for the ticket. She was dismissed from the department this Tuesday, the 9th.

O Estadão looked for Maria Fernanda, but received no response. The General Secretariat of the Presidency stated that “there was never any discussion regarding any tickets or travel allowances between the former secretary and minister Márcio Macêdo”. The ministry also said that the server was the one who asked for her dismissal for “personal reasons”.