The one in Paraíba opened a civil inquiry to investigate a program considered the “flagship” of the mayor of Patos (PB), . He is the father of the president of , , and plans to run for the Senate in this year’s elections. Municipal management denies any irregularities.
The action that led to the opening of the civil inquiry is called PAI (Primary Childhood Care Program), launched by Nabor in 2021. The objective of the initiative is to help pregnant women and families in the development of children up to six years old, with one of the pillars being the monthly payment of R$130 exclusively for the purchase of food.
According to an anonymous complaint sent to MP-PB, the program is carried out with irregular funding “through compulsory deductions from the paychecks of hired employees, without specific legal provisions or budgetary transparency.” Furthermore, the Prosecutor’s Office cites “evidence of misuse of federal funds allocated to SUAS (Single Social Assistance System) to support the municipal program.”
HAS Sheet the Secretary of Health of Patos, Leônidas Medeiros, denied irregularities in the program. He said that there are no compulsory discounts for employees and pointed out that the amount debited, in case of agreement, is 1.5% of salaries. Suppliers and service providers, he said, can also contribute.
“The contribution is optional. The contribution discount is only made after the express consent of the suppliers and service providers, as per legal provision. Any supplier or service provider who wishes not to continue contributing, simply makes the request in the municipality’s general protocol and the discount is immediately suspended”, said Medeiros.
According to the decision of the prosecutor Caio Tercero Neto Parente Miranda, issued on December 25th of last year, such use of government funds could constitute “misappropriation of purpose and misuse of federal public resources”.
In addition to initiating the investigation, the prosecutor asked the municipal management for copies of the employment contracts of employees who work in the PAI Program, in addition to paychecks from the last six months, “to analyze the discounts made.”
The MP-PB also sent a copy of the documents to the Federal Public Ministry, understanding that the program may rely on the use of funds sent by the federal government.
According to the Secretary of Health, the program aims to take care of children’s health, education, child mobility and human development. The amount deducted from employees, he says, goes towards paying for the “PAI Card”, used to purchase food.
“The PAI Program today is a reference in Paraíba in early childhood care, and is even recognized with votes of applause approved by the Court of Justice of Paraíba and recognition of its actions declared by the National Council of Justice”, highlighted Medeiros.
The secretary stated that “this information was duly forwarded to the MP-PB”. He says he awaits “the filing of this complaint.”
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