The Municipal Court of Auditors (TCM) determined that the City of São Paulo regularize within 60 days the 44 cars donated on November 18, 2013 by the Union to be used by the city’s 52 Tutelary Councils.
A complaint by Brasil de Fato, dated June 24, 2021, showed that the 44 vehicles owned by the municipality were parked in council parking lots, unused since August 2019. Bruno Covas (PSDB) – who died on May 26, 2021 –, paid BRL 6.7 million in a lease agreement for 63 cars (52 for use during the day and 11 for use at night), failing to use his automobiles themselves.
In the year following the lease agreement, on July 23, 2020, the city of São Paulo hired CS Brasil Transporte de Passageiros e Serviços Ambientais Ltda., this time for R$ 7.3 million, to lease another 63 vehicles, model Voyagem 1.0, four doors, from Volkswagen. In all, the Covas government spent R$ 14 million on vehicle rentals, having their own cars to serve the Tutelary Councils.
Using the article from Brasil de Fato, councilors Celso Giannazi (PSOL) and Elaine Mineiro (PSOL), and state deputy Carlos Giannazi (PSOL) filed a lawsuit with the TCM, asking that the case be investigated.
Read More: Exclusive: City Hall of SP leaves its own cars parked and spends R$ 14 million on lease
On March 8 of this year, TCM’s vice-president, Roberto Braguim, upheld the action in part and determined that the São Paulo City Hall “reorganize itself and adopt the necessary measures to regularize the situation of the cars donated to them with the specific charge of ‘developing actions to strengthen the tutelary councils installed in the municipality’, clarifying whether they will be returned to the Union or whether the purpose for which the assets are intended will be adequate”.
Still according to the magistrate, “based on the arguments and material made available, the Audit considered that the use of vehicles received in donation, until 2018, was being done in an irregular manner, so that the driving of cars was not done, in in its entirety, by servants of the driver category”.
Finally, Braguim criticized the City Hall of São Paulo. “Since 2013, when it received the donated vehicles, the administration has not planned properly and in a timely manner, in order to offer all the necessary conditions for the use of cars.”
Councilor Celso Giannazi asked for “seriousness” in the use of public money. “The TCM found that there was a failure to comply with the charge defined in the terms of the donation, which is very serious. The City Hall, in need of resources for other areas, ends up spending unnecessarily.”
Editing: Nicolau Soares
