After five months of avoiding explaining the power of attorney that one of his assistants had to operate the bank accounts of other advisors, the president of , (-PB), stated this Friday (19) that the TCU (Federal Audit Court) closed the investigations and that he “vehemently refutes any accusation of any wrongdoing”.
“I think this is an issue that has been overcome, the Federal Court of Auditors itself has already resolved itself,” he said. “When I found out, all measures were taken. To remove followers, to investigate. So this demonstrates my good intention of being able to work in the correct way”, he stated, in an interview with journalists.
Motta’s statement about the employees was the first since the Sheet revealed, in July, that he had routines that were incompatible with the roles he should perform in the Legislature: a physiotherapist, a medical student and a social worker at a city hall in Paraíba. The Chamber prohibits the accumulation of public jobs.
The president of the Chamber defended that the story is closed, but did not explain how his advisors accumulated other jobs outside the Chamber or why his chief of staff had ten employees.
“The chief of staff is available to the bodies to provide clarification on anything that is of interest, both to the press and the control bodies. We have nothing to hide, especially because I very vehemently rejected any accusation of any offense I have committed, because I didn’t do it”, said the deputy.
In the coffee with journalists, only one question was allowed per vehicle, with no possibility of a reply. Since July, the Sheet try explanations from the President of the Chamber, who .
Motta ordered the dismissal of two of the three employees, physiotherapist Gabriela Pagidis and social worker Monique Magno, after being approached by the Sheet on July 8 to explain the case, and stated that he “values strict compliance with his employees’ obligations.”
However, he kept Louise Lacerda, daughter of a former councilor allied with him, hired, even after the report revealed that she was studying medicine full-time while being hired by the office and that she even lived in another state during this period.
Louise was only fired when the Sheet revealed, three months later, that she graduated and started working in the office in the city halls of and Alhandra (PB), a city 40 km from the capital.
A Sheet also revealed that it is located in Serraria (PB), a city of 6,000 inhabitants 225 km from. is one of ten employees from the parliamentarian’s office who signed documents authorizing his chief of staff to open bank accounts, move money, issue cards and withdraw salaries in their name. The powers of attorney. He remains under contract.
In November, the First Chamber of the Motta rejected Motta’s representation for hiring ghost employees unanimously, without requesting information from the parliamentarian, with the argument that the de Contas did not present sufficient evidence.
In its representation, the Public Prosecutor’s Office argued that “such conduct generates losses to the treasury and compromises the credibility of public institutions” and, investigation of the damage to the treasury and return of amounts unduly received in salaries.
Minister Jonathan de Jesus, however, stated that the representation was based on journalistic articles “without, however, being accompanied by minimal probative elements or sufficient evidence regarding the alleged facts” and that “there was no concrete evidence of irregularity or illegality”.
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 is a former federal deputy and was Motta’s Republican partner before becoming TCU minister.
