Brazilian Ministry of Education employees travel to the US to attend a course taught by Olavo de Carvalho.
Two Ministry of Education employees appointed by Minister Ricardo Vélez Rodríguez left their posts after Carnival and stayed in the US to participate in a course with writer Olavo de Carvalho, who was responsible for the Colombian's nomination to head the agency; the absence from work and the international trip were not officially authorized, which could result in dismissal.
247 Two employees of the Ministry of Education (MEC), appointed by Minister Ricardo Vélez Rodríguez, left their posts after Carnival and stayed in the United States to participate in a course with the writer Olavo de Carvalho, who was responsible for nominating the Colombian to head the agency. Their absence from work and the international trip were not officially authorized, which could result in their dismissal.
One of the advisors is Daniel Emer, married to federal congresswoman Caroline de Toni (PSL-SC), from the same party as President Jair Bolsonaro. The congresswoman was also absent from the Chamber last week to take the course in the state of Virginia, in the USA. Another traveler is Silvio Grimaldo de Camargo.
In a statement, the Ministry of Education did not address specific cases. "Employees have the prerogative to negotiate justifications for their trips and absences directly with their immediate supervisors," it stated.
According to Folha de S.Paulo newspaperWhen commenting on the possibility of an investigation, the ministry stated that any analysis of complaints is confidential, as required by law.
Brazilian law stipulates that international travel by administrative staff, whether paid or unpaid, must be authorized by the ministry. The regulations are defined by decree 1.387 of 1995. According to Fernando Dantas, a lawyer specializing in administrative law, "administrative misconduct also occurs as a result of the duty of morality, which encompasses all conduct, including punctuality at work."