Brazil's Ministry of Sports Accumulated US$ 4.6 Million in Irregular Expenses, According to Audit

03/09/2018 - 11h31

The Comptroller General of the Union (CGU) carried out an audit that flagged several irregular expenses in the spending statement filed by the Executive Secretariat of the Ministry of Sports.

The flagged expenditures added up to R$ 15 million (US$ 4.6 million) between the years of 2015 and 2017. The amount is equivalent to 21% of the 2018 budget for the Athlete Scholarship Program.

The audit looked into the Secretariat's expenditures which totaled R$ 90.6 million (US$ 27.8 million). Among the activities that the Secretariat helps the ministry oversee are activities related to the federal planning and budgeting systems, administrative organization and modernization, human resources and general services.

One of the CGU's main observations has to do with rent payments in connection with a property located in the Northern Public Utility Building Sector (SEPN), which was where the ministry's headquarters was located until December of 2015.

In a report released at the end of 2017, the agency stated that rent payments connected to the property were made from October 2015 (which was when the ministry relocated its headquarters) to April 2017, generating losses that were estimated at R$ 4.4 million (US$ 1.3 million).

"It came to our attention that the ME [Ministry of Sports] is still responsible for the property despite the fact that it isn't being used," said the CGU.

The Ministry of Sports told Folha that it is looking into the expenditures in question. According to the department, contrary to what the CGU said, the last rent payment connected to the SEPN building was paid in January of 2016 and not April of 2017.

Translated by THOMAS MATHEWSON

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