Former SP Treasury Director arrested for corruption received R$ 228,000 after suspension from duty
André Weiss, arrested in Operation Icarus, accumulated salaries, promotion and bonuses despite being suspended from his post. Monthly average jumped from R$ 53,700 to R$ 76,000 after suspension.
Former number 3 at São Paulo Treasury accumulated benefits whilst facing corruption suspicions
Auditor fiscal André Weiss, arrested on Thursday (3rd) as part of Operation Icarus, received R$ 228,000 in salaries between May and July this year — a period in which he was already suspended from his post on suspicion of corruption. According to the Painel column on www1.folha.uol.com.br, Weiss also accumulated a promotion, productivity bonus and length-of-service gratuity during his suspension.
Weiss held the position of executive director-general of Tax Administration, the third highest post at the São Paulo Treasury Department. He was suspended from this position in May by decree of Governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans), but remained on the government payroll as an auditor fiscal.
On 13 July, he was assigned to the position of assistant fiscal of the directorate, and began to accumulate productivity bonuses as well. In August, he received additional pay for 20 years of service and, on the same day, 90 days of bonus leave.
Data from the Transparency portal show that between January and April, Weiss received an average of R$ 53,700 per month. After his suspension in May, this average jumped to R$ 76,000. In June alone, the gross amount reached R$ 107,000 — R$ 87,000 net. Until that month, he was still receiving an additional R$ 6,900 for serving on the audit board of CPTM (São Paulo Metropolitan Trains Company).
The Tarcísio administration told Painel that Weiss has been suspended and without pay since Thursday. The government maintained that the earlier promotions follow the legislation for the career of auditor fiscal of the state Revenue office and result from objective criteria — additional pay for length of service, productivity bonus and bonus leave. The amounts paid above the functional ceiling, according to the government, refer to back pay. The administration also reported that Weiss left the CPTM audit board in June.
The Public Ministry identifies Weiss as responsible for forming and appointing the technical group that reviewed tax exemptions granted to the companies Ultrafarma and FastShop. His actions were revealed by former auditor Paulo do Prado, who became a whistleblower.
Prado reported that Weiss received backpacks containing R$ 4.5 million in cash during a meeting in a café in the Pinheiros area of São Paulo.
The reporting team could not make contact with Weiss or his lawyers.
Source: Google News BR — São Paulo