The governor of Pernambuco, (), changed this Wednesday (21) the command of EPTI, (Empresa Pernambucana de Transporte Coletivo Intermunicipal), the state-owned company responsible for regulating and supervising intercity passenger bus lines.
EPTI was in charge after spending three years without inspecting the Logo Caruaruense company, owned by the father of the governor of Pernambuco.
After the case was publicized, Raquel Lyra stated that her father’s company would leave the intercity transport lines by the end of the month. In a statement, the state government declared that it does not interfere in the technical performance of the inspection bodies and that there was no political-administrative favoritism.
Lawyer Yuri Coriolano was appointed president of EPTI replacing Antônio Carlos Reinaux. The acts of dismissal, upon request, and appointment were published in the Official State Gazette.
EPTI is an agency linked to the Secretariat of Mobility and Infrastructure. The department is headed by André Teixeira Filho, cousin of the governor. The body gained centrality after, belonging to the family of governor Raquel Lyra.
Since October 2023, Yuri Coriolano has held the position of executive secretary of Strategic Coordination of the state Civil House. He has a bachelor’s degree in law, with postgraduate degrees in administrative law and electoral law.
Before that, Coriolano was general director of Legal Affairs at the Pernambuco Health Department. In 2022, he served as a lawyer for Raquel Lyra’s electoral campaign for the state government and remains close to the governor.
Logo Caruaruense, owned by the governor’s father, operated irregularly and without supervision for at least three years in Pernambuco. Official documents indicate that the company stopped paying mandatory fees and maintained vehicles without annual inspections between 2023 and 2026. The lines are operated through a state concession.
Inspection of intermunicipal transport is the responsibility of EPTI, whose technical report indicated that Logo Caruaruense had 50 registered buses, all of which had expired mandatory inspections. The last inspection took place in 2022, before the start of the current state government.
According to Pernambuco legislation, intercity transport companies must submit their vehicles to an annual inspection and maintain the Cadastral Registration Certificate (CRC), a document necessary for circulation authorization.
In addition to the documentary irregularities, reports and records highlighted safety problems in the vehicles, such as inoperative seat belts and tires in inadequate conditions of use. Given the failures, EPTI initiated an administrative procedure to evaluate the renewal of the company’s registration.
The governor was part of the company’s corporate structure until 2018, when she transferred her shares to her father, João Lyra Neto.
On Monday (19), state deputy Romero Albuquerque (União Brasil) filed a request for impeachment against Raquel Lyra in Pernambuco (Alepe), citing irregularities involving Logo Caruaruense.
The request was received by the House and should be analyzed in February.
