Municipality of Rio de Janeiro received R$55 million from the Ministry of Health 1 month before Márcio Lima was appointed Secretary of Culture
O MPTCU (Public Prosecutor's Office at the Federal Court of Auditors) sent this Thursday (11 January 2024) a representation asking the Court of Auditors to investigate the appointment of Minister Nísia Trindade's son to the city council of Cabo Frio. The municipality received R$55 million from the Ministry of Health 1 month before the appointment. Here is the full representation (PDF – 268 kB).
As shown by the Power360, Márcio Lima Sampaio, son of the minister, was appointed to head the municipality's Department of Culture on January 5th. At the end of 2023, the Ministry of Health allocated R$55 million to the municipality through GM/MS ordinance No. 2,169.
The ordinance of December 5, 2023 directed a total of R$103 million in resources to 14 municipalities. Half of the resources went to Cabo Frio.
Deputy Attorney Lucas Furtado said that, despite the resources being demands from previous administrations, “species cause” that the appointment and release of funds be one month apart. The representation also mentions that Márcio –who is a musician– has no experience in the area of public management.
“The appointment appears controversial and subject to questioning, as it occurred after the release of 'large' funds by the ministry run by the nominee's mother, in a kind of 'take it, give it here', an old practice known in national politics .”
Lucas Furtado asked TCU to adopt “necessary measures to investigate possible conduct that violates administrative morality”.
Other side
After the report from the Power360, the Ministry of Health said that the minister had nothing to do with the appointment of her son as Secretary of Culture of Cabo Frio. She also stated that Cabo Frio's demands for funds originated from the previous administration and were met following technical criteria, as were the demands of other cities.
The city of Cabo Frio also denied that Márcio Sampaio's appointment was related to the minister. He said he was chosen for the position “for being a qualified person, young and involved with the cultural class“.
In a note, he states that “Mayor Magdala Furtado took into account Sampaio's proximity to the Ministry of Culture and the Secretariat of Culture of the State of Rio de Janeiro, which will help the municipality to carry out more projects and attract resources to Cabo Frio“.
As soon as the ordinance was published, on December 6, the municipality released a text celebrating the resources. The city hall said that the ordinance was “made available thanks to the combination of municipal forces with the Minister of Health, Nísia Trindade Lima, who welcomed Mayor Magdala Furtado and the people of Cabo Frio with open arms, willing to help municipal management”.
The resources, informs the city hall, will be invested in urgent and emergency networks, hospital networks, rehabilitation services, maternal and child care, psychosocial care and outpatient care.
On social media, minister Nísia Trinade said that information that her position is related to her son's appointment is “fake news”. She stated that the organization allocates funds to all municipalities and that she was happy for the invitation. The ministry also issued an official note. Here's the complete of the note (PDF – 176 kB).
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