The Rio de Janeiro State Court of Auditors (TCE-RJ) began analyzing the 2025 accounts of former governor Cláudio Castro (PL) this Thursday, but the vote was suspended after a request for review by council member Cristiano Lacerda. The resumption of the judgment was scheduled for next Monday at 14 pm, in an extraordinary remote session.
The special session was presided over by the Court's president, Márcio Pacheco, and included the participation of council members José Gomes Graciosa, Rodrigo Melo Nascimento, Marcelo Verdini Maia, and vice-president Thiago Pampolha, according to reports. The GlobePampolha requested that his participation be considered suspended because he was part of the state government between January and May 2025, a period in which he held the position of vice-governor.
The rapporteur points to concerns about the state's fiscal situation.
The trial began with the presentation of the vote by rapporteur Rodrigo Melo Nascimento, who prepared a nearly 300-page report. According to him, the court's analysis deals with "state macro-management" and does not examine specific contracts or individual responsibilities of managers.
Rodrigo Melo agreed with the understanding of the technical staff of the Court of Auditors and the Public Prosecutor's Office, both of whom were in favor of the accounts, but issued a series of warnings about the fiscal situation of Rio de Janeiro. The councilor criticized the successive deficit-ridden budget projects submitted by the state Executive branch, pointing to annual deficits in the range of R$ 15 billion even with the state included in the Fiscal Recovery Regime.
According to the rapporteur, the fiscal scenario is no longer temporary and reveals weaknesses in budget planning, control of tax benefits, and the opening of additional credits. Despite this, he highlighted compliance with constitutional minimums in health and education.
Audits regarding Refit and Banco Master enter the debate.
Rodrigo Melo voted to approve the accounts with 17 reservations, 23 determinations, five recommendations, and nine warnings. Among the proposed measures is the carrying out of audits on tax benefits granted to the Refit refinery and on financial investments of Rioprevidência linked to Banco Master, a matter already investigated by the court.
According to the advisor, the investments of the state pension fund are still the subject of a specific process in the defense phase and have not yet received a final decision from the TCE (Court of Accounts).
The most critical vote was cast by council member José Gomes Graciosa, the process reviewer. He issued an opinion against the government's accounts and stated that he had found "very serious" inconsistencies in the state's balance sheet, especially related to the presented balances.
Vote against increases pressure on government.
Graciosa stated that she had identified seven irregularities and 12 improprieties in the accounts. Furthermore, she expanded upon the investigation proposal presented by the rapporteur and advocated for a comprehensive audit of all tax incentives granted by the state of Rio de Janeiro, not just those related to Refit.
Following Cristiano Lacerda's request for a review, the president of the TCE (Court of Accounts) decided to adjourn the session. The Court's preliminary opinion will later be sent to the Legislative Assembly of Rio (Alerj), which is responsible for the political-administrative judgment of the state government's accounts.
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