The First Chamber of the (Federal Audit Court) rejected representation against the president of , (-PB), for hiring ghost employees in his office. The action was filed unanimously, without requesting information from the parliamentarian, on the grounds that the de Contas did not present sufficient evidence.
As highlighted by Sheetthree of Motta’s advisors with the functions they should perform in the Legislature: a physiotherapist, a medical student (who later graduated and went on to work as a social worker at a city hall in Paraíba.
In the representation, the Public Prosecutor’s Office together with the TCU argued that “such conduct generates losses to the treasury and compromises the credibility of public institutions” and the opening of a special accounting process to determine the damage to the treasury and return amounts unduly received in salaries.
“The hiring of ghost employees and the favoring of employees’ relatives constitute practices that violate the principles of morality, efficiency and economy, provided for in article 37 of the Federal Constitution”, stated the deputy attorney general, Lucas Rocha Furtado, on behalf of the TCU.
Minister Jonathan de Jesus, however, stated that the representation was based on journalistic materials “without, however, being accompanied by minimal probative elements or sufficient evidence regarding the alleged facts”. The trial took place on Tuesday (11), but the ruling was only published this Thursday (13).
He said that “there were no concrete indications of irregularity or illegality” and defended the archiving, which was unanimously supported by the class ministers. He ignored the suggestion from the technical area, which argued that additional information should be requested from the President of the Chamber about the complaint.
Jonathan de Jesus is a former federal deputy and was Motta’s partner in the Republicans before becoming minister of the TCU, in 2023.
According to Sheet revealed in July, physiotherapist Gabriela Pagidis was hired with a salary of R$11,400 at the office, but worked at clinics in Brasília four times a week. The report He followed her routine and found that, on Tuesdays and Thursday mornings, a shift in which she does not work as a physiotherapist, she goes to a gym next to her house.
Monique Agra combined her role in the office with a position as a social worker at João Pessoa City Hall. She held both jobs for more than four years, although legislation and the Chamber’s internal regulations prohibit the accumulation of public functions and the working hours were incompatible.
After the publication of the report, both were fired by Motta.
Louise Lacerda studied medicine full time and lived in Rio Grande do Norte, although she was hired to work in Paraíba. She is the daughter of former councilor Marcílio Lacerda (Republicanos-PB), from the municipality of Conceição (PB).
Initially, she was kept in the cabinet, even after the reports, but was fired after the Sheet reveal that, after graduating in July, she worked in two city halls while remaining employed by Motta’s office.
When contacted at the time, Motta stated through his advisor that he “values strict compliance with the obligations of employees in his office, including those who work remotely and are exempt from duty within the rules established by the Chamber”, but refused to provide the employees’ attendance record or disclose evidence of the activities carried out in the office.
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