Flávio Dino suspends Pix amendments with suspicions of irregularities for Rio de Janeiro and eight other cities

Minister Flávio Dino of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) has suspended the transfers of special amendments (known as Pix amendments) with suspicions of irregularities destined for Rio de Janeiro and eight other cities. The decision came after the Comptroller General of the Union (CGU) pointed out possible flaws in the allocation of funds. Dino ordered the ‘federal government to suspend the transfers related to the audited amendments with signs of crimes’. The minister also forwarded the information to the Federal Police (PF), which should include them in existing investigations or open new ones. The affected cities and the irregularities cited are as follows: Camaçari (BA) – Diversion from the purpose of contract execution, Carapicuíba (SP) – Failures in the formalization of the bidding process, Coração de Maria (BA) – Hiring of company without proof of technical capacity, Iracema (RR) – Executed items outside technical specifications, Macapá (AP) – Signs of overpricing, Rio de Janeiro (RJ) – Signs of overpricing, São João de Meriti/RJ – Signs of overpricing, São Luiz do Anauá (RR) – Paralyzed works, with expired validity period, Sena Madureira (AC) – Lack of supporting documentation for product delivery. The CGU audit was conducted in the ten municipalities that received the most Pix amendments between 2020 and 2024. Of these, errors in the work plan or in the allocation of resources were only not found in São Paulo. Dino is the rapporteur of a lawsuit filed by the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (Abraji), which discusses the constitutionality of Pix amendments.