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Audit by CGE in Rio identified ghost employees throughout the state administration, eliminated commissioned positions in series, and already projects an annual saving of R$ 355 million to public coffers.
An audit by the General Controller of the State of Rio de Janeiro found ghost employees in all 77 bodies of the state administration and triggered an offensive that has already led to the dismissal of more than 4,000 people. The thorough review targeted commissioned positions considered of “high criticality” after cross-references showed a lack of time clock records, computer logins, and access to the Electronic Information System, used for processing official documents.
The survey became one of the largest recent investigations in the public machinery of Rio. In some departments, the proportion of commissioned employees dismissed or without identified activity reached 80%, according to the audit material. The result was a chain reaction within the government, with structural cuts, the elimination of sub-departments, and an estimated million-dollar saving for state coffers.
The information was published by diariodorio.com, based on the work of the CGE and the measures adopted by the state management after the investigation.
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Thorough review showed flaws in the entire state structure
According to the survey, signs of irregularity appeared in all 77 structures analyzed. The CGE classified the commissioned employees in a “high criticality” list after finding a repeated pattern: absence of passage through physical turnstiles, lack of computer logins, and no access to the SEI.
In practice, the data cross-referencing pointed to people officially appointed but with no signs of presence in the daily public service. The situation spread across different government areas and showed that the problem was not restricted to one department or a specific group.
More than 4,000 dismissals and series of position cuts
In light of the audit results, the acting governor, Ricardo Couto, initiated a wave of dismissals. Since the beginning of the process, more than 4,283 commissioned employees have been dismissed, according to the available material.
The heaviest impact appeared in departments with the greatest reduction of positions. The Labor Department had a 78.6% cut in commissioned employees. Next came the Department of Sports and Leisure, with 75.6%, and the Department of Tourism, with 73.3%. The Department of Culture, Technology, and Innovation also underwent a significant reduction, with a 65.6% decrease.
In addition to the dismissals, the government also advanced on structures considered unnecessary. Entire sub-departments were eliminated, mainly in the State Department of Environment and Sustainability and the Civil House.
Annual savings could reach R$ 355 million
So far, 60 of the 77 state agencies have completed the audit. With this, the government’s projection is an annual savings of R$ 355 million, already considering the thirteenth salary and vacations.
Only the departures recorded between March and May represent a cut of almost R$ 15 million per month. The financial effect helps to gauge the scale of the scrutiny and shows why the review of payrolls has gained weight within the Guanabara Palace.
For the government, the challenge now is to complete the cleanup in the remaining structures and prevent excluded names from returning to the system through administrative channels.
Emblematic cases exposed political connections and kinship
The audit also found situations that reinforced the suspicion of political appointments and structures of favoritism. In testimony to the auditors, some commissioned officers claimed they did “external work,” but ended up contradicting themselves.
One of the cases cited was Marcelo Cabral D’Almeida, assigned to the extinct Subsecretariat of Urban Green Areas Maintenance, with a salary of R$ 10,903.66. He said he conducted field inspections in the West Zone of Rio, but admitted he couldn’t even remember his own boss’s name when questioned.
Another episode involved Marcus Wilson Von Seehausen and his son, João Antonius Von Seehausen, who were on the list and were dismissed. The Subsecretariat of Environmental Awareness, led by Thamires Rangel, daughter of state deputy Thiago Rangel, also drew attention.
Among the names mentioned in the survey is also influencer Bruna Castello Branco Costa Motta, who was assigned to Seas as deputy I and dismissed under the classification of “high criticality.” According to the material, she accumulated more than R$ 9.6 thousand in indemnified vacations without a history of access to the State’s systems.
State tightens rules to prevent return to positions
After the dismissals, the government began to adopt restrictions to block the return of suspects to the same agencies. The secretaries of the Civil House, Flávio Willeman, and of Government, Roberto Leão, sent individualized reports to each department.
The commissioned officers dismissed under suspicion of fraud were placed on a special restriction list and were prohibited, by decree, from returning to their original agency. The managers of the departments that have not yet completed the audit have a deadline to present complementary lists and carry out immediate dismissals.
The scrutiny opened a new front within the Rio government and is expected to result in more dismissals in the coming weeks. If you follow the behind-the-scenes of public administration in Rio, it is worth keeping an eye on the progress of the upcoming audits and new dismissals.
