The privatization process of Companhia Riograndense de Saneamento (Corsan) will be debated in three commissions of the Chamber of Deputies, in Brasilia: Administration and Public Service Commission, Labor Commission and Urban Development Commission. The request for the joint hearing came from deputy Denise Pessôa (PT-RS) and deputies Alexandre Lindenmeyer (PT-RS) and Joseildo Ramos (PT-BA), with the justification of analyzing possible irregularities. Dates have not yet been set.
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Governor Eduardo Leite (PSDB) signed, in July, the contract for the sale and transfer of Corsan to the Aegea group, after several legal upheavals. The signature continued the process of selling the Company, sold at auction in December last year for BRL 4.151 billion, after an injunction granted within the scope of the State Court of Auditors (TCE-RS). However, the privatization process is still open as the trial continues at the supervisory body.
The TCE-RS, by majority, determined the annulment of the auction for recognizing differences between the value presented by the state projections and that demonstrated by the company – a case of underpricing. The publication of the company’s balance sheet for the 1st half of 2023, still entirely under public management, brought data to be examined, such as a profit of more than 540 million reais – more than double what the private consultants who modeled the privatization had projected for for the entire year of 2023, a fact that casts doubt on the financial justifications presented for the sale of the company.
“With the evidence of irregularities in hiring private consultants during the preparatory process for the auction that sold the Company, it is necessary to carefully analyze the privatization of Corsan”, points out Denise Pessôa. “This public hearing is an opportunity for the Rio Grande do Sul and Brazilian population and the national government to better understand what is happening in Rio Grande do Sul”, argues the deputy.
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Corsan operates in 317 municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul, serving more than 6 million people. The deputies who requested the public hearing argue that, although the buyer is already managing the Company, the public debate regarding the supposed irregularities of the process at the federal level must be expanded so that transparency is guaranteed in the privatization process.
Source: BdF Rio Grande do Sul
Editing: Marcelo Ferreira
