TCU minister’s office becomes stronghold in support of the Bolsonaro government

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The choice of Jorge Oliveira, 49, for a position as minister of the TCU (Court of Accounts of the Union) opened space for the government to create a consensus in the body in favor of infrastructure projects, rules for the 5G auction, privatization of Eletrobras and even from Jair Bolsonaro’s accounts.

According to reports from the accounts court, since taking office at the end of last year, the minister has received visits from practically all members of the government, responding to processes opened by the TCU with potential for harm to the government.

In several cases, according to reports, Oliveira acted to try to convince other colleagues. That was how it was with the road public notices, such as NovaDutra — much criticized by technicians in the area —, with the 5G — whose auction rules were disapproved by auditors — and with the Eletrobras privatization project.

Wanted, Oliveira declined to comment. Major of the Military Police of the Federal District, the minister is a lawyer trained by Iesb (Institute of Higher Education of Brasília), he served as parliamentary advisor to the PM from 2003 to 2013.

In the following year, he started to provide legal advice to then Federal Deputy Jair Bolsonaro and came to head the office of Federal Deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro (PSL-SP).

In early January 2019, he was appointed by the president to the Chief of Staff for Legal Affairs (SAJ), a position he held until the end of June, when Bolsonaro promoted him to chief minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, in place by General Floriano Peixoto Neto.

In the government’s reorganization, in search of an alliance with the parties of the so-called centrão, Bolsonaro appointed Oliveira to TCU, in the vacancy opened by minister Jorge Múcio Monteiro, who has retired.

Oliveira’s role was important so that the government did not suffer a more severe warning for irregularities in the rendering of accounts in 2020.

In the conversations, according to people who participated in the discussions, he played a relevant role so that, in the end, the plenary could unanimously approve the accounts, despite the 28 reservations.

Two irregularities drew attention: the execution of expenses by Caixa Econômica Federal without a provision for allocation in the investment budget and the non-compliance with the constitutional minimum for resources for irrigation in the Midwest.

There were also accounting inconsistencies in the Ministries of Agriculture, Science and Regional Development, and in the Ministry of Education.

Among the other 23 distortions pointed out by the TCU is the impossibility of the agency to carry out an appropriate audit on the reliability of the Social Security and Ministry of Economy data.

A sheet requested the minister’s agenda which was not available on the court’s website. According to her, ministers and representatives of all these folders were received.

The only minister who did not attend in person was Paulo Guedes (Economy). In his place, it was the advisor Daniella Marques, known in the corridors of TCU as “the minister”.

In August, the Minister of Communications, Fábio Faria, visited the offices of the TCU ministers to ask for support for the approval of the 5G edict proposed by the rapporteur, Minister Raimundo Carreiro.

Although other ministers acted more directly in obtaining consensus from the plenary, Oliveira’s participation was fundamental in this articulation between the government and TCU.

In the end, the notice was approved in the rapporteur’s version with some modifications. Faria pressed for the auction to take place this year.

The court’s technical area was contrary to several rules of the notice, but, in the end, the auction took place at the beginning of this month.

Bolsonaro intends to use 5G as an achievement of his government in the campaign for re-election in 2022. The service should arrive in capitals in July of next year.

In Infrastructure, Minister Tarcísio de Freitas and his technicians had the support of Oliveira to defend the parameters of the new road concessions, particularly that of NovaDutra.

These concessions provide for bold mechanisms of cross-investment and a combination of lower rate and higher bid for bids in the auction. There was a lot of resistance from the technical area of ​​TCU in relation to this type of contract.

Those who worked with the court affirm that the minister’s office was very active in defending this new model, which ended up being approved by the TCU plenary.

Despite the fact that TCU is an arm of Congress, the number of congressmen received by the minister in less than a year of exercise in office draws attention. There were 39 meetings, between deputies and senators, until the beginning of November, almost double the average of other cabinets.

With eight meetings held, the most assiduous deputy was Cezinha de Madureira (PSD-SP), leader of the Evangelical caucus in the Chamber. He represents the Assembly of God Ministry of Madureira. He is a supporter and friend of Bolsonaro.

“Jorge has always been an interlocutor between Catholics and Evangelicals. I went there to make courtesy visits, sometimes with someone. We prayed together,” said the deputy to sheet. “He is a Catholic almost a believer.”

On the list of congressmen are deputies and senators from the allied base. Among the senators, stands out Davi Alcolumbre (DEM-AP), who has been to the cabinet four times.

The senator resists the hearing of Bolsonaro’s nominee to the STF (Supreme Federal Court), André Mendonça, who was received by Oliveira for the last time in late September amid Bolsonaro’s anti-democratic attacks against the court.

Other civil servants also sought support from the minister for government nominations for positions in the CNMP (National Council of the Public Ministry), such as Engels Muniz, Cade (Administrative Council for Economic Defense) and Antaq (National Waterway Transport Agency).

Muniz said he went to the office to visit. He denies having asked for support.

The minister also received direct advisers from Bolsonaro, the Macaonarist articulator Uugton Batista, pastors and even the rodeo announcer Cuiabano Lima, hired by Caixa to carry out an advertising campaign for emergency aid.

The bank argued secrecy for not disclosing the value of the contract. There are several processes open at TCU to investigate possible infringements committed by the institution in advertising.

“He is my friend and we went for coffee,” Cuiabano Lima told sheet. “Made [a campanha] as a recognized artist. I’ve done Jô Soares, Sítio do Pica-Pau Amarelo, Faustão, Danilo Gentile, national articles and even the cover of the New York Times. I was hired, we issued an invoice and everything is fine.”

Caixa did not inform whether the contract is a target of TCU. The bank said that the contract “provides for the secrecy of the value of the fee, which is legally backed by virtue of the strategic interest related to the advertising campaign carried out”.

Former PTB advisor Uugton Batista and the President of the Republic did not respond.


Who had an audience with the minister of TCU

João Henrique Nascimento de Freitas

Direct advisor to Jair Bolsonaro
Meetings: 2

Bruno Grossi

Special Secretary for Government Relations of the Civil House of the Presidency of the Republic
Meetings: 5

Fabio Faria

Minister of Communications, had the support of Oliveira to form a majority in the TCU plenary in favor of the approval of the 5G notice
Meetings: 1

Cesar Madureira (PSD-SP)
Federal deputy, friend of Bolsonaro and the president’s children
Meetings: 8

Uugton Baptist

He was a special advisor to the PTB president, Roberto Jefferson, he is a political articulator for the dissemination of conservative causes
Meetings: 2

Cuiabano Lima

Rodeo announcer and friend of Bolsonaro, he campaigned for Caixa Econômica Federal, but the fee was kept confidential
Meetings: 1

Engels Muniz

Councilor of the CNMP, sought support for his nomination
Meetings: 1

Source: TCU (Court of Accounts of the Union)

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