São Paulo prosecutors execute warrants against former city officials in suspicious procurement case
Two former employees of the São Paulo City Hall, dismissed in March, are under investigation for allegedly directing public purchases towards pre-selected companies.
São Paulo prosecutors execute warrants against former city officials in suspicious procurement case
The Public Ministry of São Paulo, through its specialist group for combating organised crime, launched an operation on the morning of Tuesday (7) carrying out search warrants against two former employees of the municipal administration of the capital. The pair were removed from their posts in March of the current year.
One of them worked in the department responsible for infrastructure and construction; the other headed the public procurement sector in the secretariat that oversees subprefectures. The suspicion is that both manipulated tenders to favour certain companies in exchange for personal gain.
The most significant public purchase under scrutiny involves air-conditioning equipment, with an approximate budget of R$ 1 billion. The procurement process was interrupted and later restarted after the individuals involved departed. The Public Ministry became aware of the case through a complaint received in February, and the irregularities are said to have been committed in the period from 2022 to 2025.
Searches are being carried out at properties linked to the investigated individuals both in the capital and in neighbouring municipalities. The aim is to gather documents and data to deepen the investigations. Mobile phones belonging to the targets were also seized.
One line of investigation seeks to verify whether the former employees received bribes. There are indications of disparity between official income and accumulated assets, with hypotheses of acquisition of real estate, vehicles and other assets through intermediaries, which could indicate concealment of wealth of criminal origin.
The conduct under examination could fall under the crimes of active and passive corruption, tender fraud and money laundering. The buildings of the city hall and the secretariats are not among the locations visited.
Source: G1
Source: Google News BR — São Paulo