The Court of Auditors of the State of Rio de Janeiro (TCE-RJ) resumes this Monday (1st), at 14 pm, the analysis of the government accounts for the fiscal year 2025 of former governor Cláudio Castro. The expectation is that the councilors will conclude the voting on the technical report that will be sent to the Legislative Assembly of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Alerj), responsible for the final decision on the approval or rejection of the accounts.
The trial had been interrupted last week following a request for review by council member Cristiano Lacerda, who asked for more time to examine the case. It will resume in an extraordinary session held remotely.
So far, the process has revealed significant disagreements among the members of the Court of Auditors, indicating a scenario of technical dispute over the state's fiscal situation.
Rapporteur defends approval with reservations.
The rapporteur for the case, Councilor Rodrigo Melo Nascimento, presented a favorable opinion on the approval of the accounts, although he pointed out a series of observations and recommendations to the state government.
According to Melo, both the technical staff of the Court of Auditors and the Public Prosecutor's Office issued favorable opinions regarding the accountability report. Even so, the rapporteur expressed concern about the state's fiscal situation, especially given the recurrence of billion-dollar deficits in budget proposals prepared during the Fiscal Recovery Regime.
During his statement, the advisor also suggested specific audits to further investigate sensitive issues, including tax incentives granted to the Refit refinery and financial investments of Rioprevidência (Rio de Janeiro's pension fund) related to Banco Master.
At the end of the vote, Rodrigo Melo proposed the approval of the accounts accompanied by 17 reservations, 23 determinations, five recommendations, and nine warnings.
Reviewer points out irregularities and requests rejection.
Conversely, reviewing council member José Gomes Graciosa issued an opinion recommending the rejection of the state government's accounts.
According to the advisor's assessment, seven irregularities and 12 improprieties were identified in the rendering of accounts, in addition to significant inconsistencies in the state's asset records.
Graciosa argued that the data presented in the balance sheet indicated an overvaluation of the accounting balances, a situation she described as serious during the hearing.
Furthermore, the reviewer argued that the proposed audit to analyze tax benefits should not be limited to the Refit case, but should encompass all tax incentives granted by the State of Rio de Janeiro.
A request for review delayed the conclusion of the trial.
The session was suspended immediately after the presentation of the review vote. Cristiano Lacerda requested to review the case to further analyze it, postponing the conclusion of the trial.
In response to the request, the president of the TCE-RJ (Rio de Janeiro State Court of Auditors), Marcio Pacheco, scheduled the resumption of voting for this Monday on an extraordinary basis.
The expectation is that the advisors will present their final positions and conclude the preparation of the preliminary report on the 2025 accounts.
The outcome of the vote in the court will be technical and advisory in nature, serving as a basis for the political analysis that will be carried out later by the Legislative Assembly.
Session composition and next steps
In addition to Rodrigo Melo Nascimento, José Gomes Graciosa, and Cristiano Lacerda, the analysis also includes council members Marcelo Verdini Maia and the Court's vice-president, Thiago Pampolha.
Pampolha, however, stated that he was prevented from participating in the vote because he was part of the state government between January and May 2025, when he held the position of vice-governor.
Council members Marianna Montebello Willeman and Andreia Siqueira Martins remain on leave.
After the conclusion of the trial, the TCE-RJ (Rio de Janeiro State Court of Auditors) will send its technical opinion to Alerj (Rio de Janeiro State Legislative Assembly), which will be responsible for deliberating and making the final decision on the state government's accounts for the fiscal year 2025.
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