Senator calls for suspension of advertising from Secom and says the government uses public resources to defend proposal still under analysis in Congress
The senator (PL-RN), leader of the opposition in the Senate, called the (Federal Audit Court) to investigate and suspend the (PT) government’s advertising campaign in defense of the end of the 6 X 1 work schedule.
In the representation sent to the Court, Marinho questions the use of public resources by Secom (Secretariat of Social Communication of the Presidency of the Republic) to promote a legislative proposal still under analysis in Congress.
According to the senator, advertising can constitute improper use of the public sector to influence the legislative debate. Read the document (PDF – 313 kB).
The action calls for the opening of an emergency operational and financial audit at Secom and requires a precautionary measure to immediately suspend the campaign. It also requests that the CGU (Comptroller General of the Union) and the secretariat’s internal control bodies inform whether they had prior knowledge of the initiative.
According to the representation, the campaign would have an estimated cost of around R$15 million. The senator states that the TCU must analyze the legality, legitimacy and economicity of the expenditure, in addition to the compatibility of the action with constitutional principles of public administration.
Marinho says that the question does not deal with the merit of the proposal on working hours, but with the legality of using public money to defend a legislative agenda before Congress deliberation.
The document cites as a precedent a precautionary decision by the TCU that suspended the Bolsonaro government’s advertising campaign in defense of the anti-crime package, under the understanding of possible irregular use of institutional advertising.
In the representation, the senator states that “institutional advertising cannot be converted into government advertising” nor serve as “indirect mechanism of political constraint of the National Congress”.
Marinho asks the court to investigate possible misuse of purpose, political-governmental promotion and violation of the principles of legality, impersonality and administrative morality, with managers being held responsible in case of irregularities.
