The Seventh Court of the Public Treasury of São Paulo convicted former Governor João Doria (PSDB) and State Minister of Education, Rosselli Soares, for the “Escola Mais Bonita” programme, which provided for the 40% drawing of the network of state institutions in blue and yellow, the symbol of the Social Democratic Party Brazilian. Judge Emilio Miliano Neto also ordered the former governor and the secretary to bear procedural costs and attorneys’ fees, set at R$10,000. The value should be updated as of the sentence’s posting. The popular lawsuit was filed by Co-MP Paula Aparecida, a member of Bancada Ativista, in December 2019. Judgment is preliminary. There is a call.
In addition, the judge prohibited the acquisition of specific brands and colors of paints without conducting the bidding process. In the lawsuit, the author asked the accused to return the funds used for personal purposes to the public treasury. As Aparecida reported, the program’s budget was estimated at R$1.1 billion. “Public money cannot and should not be used to satisfy one’s desires, with a clear partisan colouring,” Migliano Netto assesses.
At the beginning of the process, the Public Prosecution Office manifested itself in asking the government to stop pressuring the Parents and Teachers Syndicate to comply with what was stated in the manual. That is, to paint the schools in the colors of the legend. The judge agreed to the request. In response to the accusations, Joao Doria’s defense defended that “the selection was not based on party colors and that there was no acquisition of paints from specific brands”.
The São Paulo State Treasury filed an objection stating that there was no evidence “of direct or indirect personal promotion of any political agent, and the PSD changed its logo in September 2019, with the currently dominant color green, with no harmful effects. “or illegality or immorality.” However, the judge considered, in light of the evidence presented, that “the illegality of the standards imposed on school boards, as well as regarding the pre-text of the marks to be observed” had been verified.
Finally, Migliano Neto concluded that “in times of serious institutional crises and attacks on democratic pillars of the rule of law, it is necessary to reaffirm the need to separate the person occupying the public role from the responsible.” In the ruling, the judge also argued that there was no doubt that it was a “personal promotion”.
Throughout the sentence, the judge added that Doria and Rosselli “did not respect the law, with a voluntary incompatible with the duties of the relevant positions held by each, impose a certain will on leadership obligations and set an example for civil servants and citizens.”
For Flavio Sequeira, the attorney in charge of the popular procedure, “the legislation prohibits the practice of using public resources for personal promotion, and the judiciary is solid.”
Launched in January 2019, the “Escola Mais Bonita” program announced the revitalization of 2,100 institutions by 2020. Six months later, in June 2019, that number had dropped to 1,400 schools registered to receive the programme.
In a word, the Attorney General of the State
The Estadão report contacted the attorney general, but until the publication of this text they had not sent a note on the case. Space is open to expression.
periodically by word
Estadão’s report made contact with João Doria’s advisor. Space is open to expression.
In a word, the Education Secretariat of the State of São Paulo
The team contacted the secretariat, but until the publication of this text there had been no response. Space is open for clarification
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