Vice Mello Araújo claims that there was a deviation before becoming vice mayor; Nunes explains a complaint that allegedly occurred during the management of the two
The mayor of, (MDB), responded this Friday (22) to the statements of vice-mayor Coronel Mello Araújo (PL), who told Folha de S.Paulo that there was a misuse of funds at City Hall before taking on the role of vice-mayor.
In a conversation with Jovem Pan reporter Misael Mainetti, Nunes stated that Mello only contacted him after receiving a complaint, and that the measures were adopted immediately after the report.
According to the mayor, two employees were dismissed on the same day that the deputy raised the suspicion, and the Municipal Comptroller General opened an internal investigation.
Nunes, however, says that “in principle, the complaint is unfounded”. The mayor also refuted the information that there were 34 ghost employees, pointing out that they were, in fact, doctors hired as a legal entity, who were paid on-call.
According to him, the complaint brought by the deputy does not just refer to his administration and Mello was already in the city hall as deputy: “There was no misappropriation of funds”, reinforced Nunes.
In addition to administrative suspicions, the episode took on political overtones after Mello criticized the governor of São Paulo, (Republicans). The deputy told Folha that the governor does not give City Hall the due recognition for the actions that resulted in the end of Cracolândia and Favela do Moinho.
When asked about this friction, Nunes said he told the vice president that Tarcísio “recognizes the work of City Hall”, highlighting that cooperation between the municipal and state governments remains positive.
The episode exposes a new focus of tension between mayor and deputy amid political movements and increased public scrutiny over São Paulo’s administration.
