The presidential candidate for , , has 51 military police officers from Goiás, a state that , available to provide personal security for himself and his family in São Paulo.
The number is greater than that of a platoon in Brazil, a military subdivision made up of around 40 soldiers, and more than six times the personnel limit established for former presidents.
For the highest position in the Republic, the forecast is for up to eight employees, four of them for security and support, when the term ends. The rule varies across states.
The politician moved to São Paulo to move the. With him came the police, with their numbers inflated after the chief secretary of the Military House of , Marco Aurélio Godinho, signed in the state’s Official Gazette, on April 1, one day after Caiado’s resignation, an ordinance with new rules on the security of former governors.
Godinho stipulated that the actions extend to family members of the former governor. The politician can also indicate which military police officers will make up the team, if available. The ordinance also determines that “the transport and accommodation structure, and other logistical resources necessary to carry out security measures” are the responsibility of the state’s Military House.
The benefit is valid for as long as the politician has served as governor, as long as the period is longer than three years. Caiado held the position for seven years and three months.
The limit on personnel for security, a benefit provided for former governors at the state, was not explicit in previous regulations. A 2011 decree, however, drew attention to the need for parsimony, indicating that ten officers would already be “an excessive number and dissociated from the reality of the police institutions involved.”
The list of 51 soldiers available to the governor and his family is contained in a document obtained by Sheet. The text points out that the total expenditure on agents’ salaries is R$797.5 thousand per month, excluding additions to commissioned functions and bonuses. The amount does not include other expenses, such as daily expenses.
Asked about the number of 51 agents and what is spent per month on transportation, accommodation and other expenses with the group, Secami stated that it does not disclose information related to the staff for reasons of institutional security.
“The Government of Goiás emphasizes that the service is carried out based on technical criteria and specific protocols. The staff used is not fixed and works in a rotation system, according to operational needs and travel and schedule demands. It also informs that Secami professionals assigned to security activities do not necessarily work exclusively.”
Caiado sent a note saying he has four members who take turns according to the scale. “Having an escort is not stewardship. It is protection for those who most faced violence in Brazil. The obligation to guarantee security for former governors and their families has been in force since 2010 in Goiás. It is even included in the State Constitution. The team that serves Caiado actually has 4 members who take turns according to the schedule, and not 51 people”, stated the advisory.
Asked whether the politician then denied the number of 51 agents assigned to his security and that of his family, in a rotation system, the advisor stated that it was not a question of denying the number greater than a platoon. She also did not dispute the information that security extends to family members, such as Caiado’s daughters and , currently a pre-candidate for Goiás.
Caiado also stated that he will have additional protection from , due to . “Those who fought organized crime and reduced violent crimes in Goiás by 84% need security. And there’s more: after the approval of the candidacy, there will be additional protection from the Federal Police. The risks cannot be minimized. Drug trafficking, the PCC and the Red Command do not forget the heavy hand of Ronaldo Caiado in Goiás.”
Although security rules depend on laws in the states, the (Supreme Federal Court) has already taken a position on the need for the benefit to respect republican principles of equality and morality.
According to Bruno Morassutti, columnist for Sheet and advocacy director at Ficam Sabendo, an organization specialized in access to public information, although certain data on the subject may be confidential to guarantee the security of politicians, general information, such as expenditure on operations, should not be denied under this pretext.
The opacity is not restricted to the government of Goiás. The report questioned 11 states, those this year to run for other positions, about how many security guards are available to politicians.
The Federal District reported that the amount used by () is in accordance with current legislation, which guarantees 4 employees and 1 official vehicle. Minas Gerais said there was the employment of one officer and two enlisted men per shift to provide security for the former governor.
(), who left office to run for President, confirmed using the benefit, but did not inform the number of agents, citing security concerns. The other states did not respond.
