UNE receives R$ 30 million, but fails to rebuild historic headquarters.
Amidst a flurry of scandals surrounding the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB), a student organization led by the party received millions in compensation to rebuild its historic headquarters on Flamengo beach in Rio de Janeiro; the money arrived in December, but eleven months later the work hasn't even started – and R$ 14,6 million is still owed.
Led by leaders linked to the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB) since its formal return to activity in 1979, the National Union of Students (UNE) has yet to begin construction on the 12-story building it promises to build in one of the best locations on Flamengo Beach (south zone) with the R$ 44,6 million it is entitled to as compensation for damages suffered during the military regime. Although the federal government paid R$ 30 million to the students last December, when then-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva participated in the laying of the foundation stone, the land remains untouched. The remaining R$ 14,6 million has been promised by President Dilma Rousseff since the beginning of the year, but has not yet been released.
In addition to the R$30 million in compensation, the UNE (National Union of Students) received R$12,8 million from the federal government during Lula's two terms, thanks to agreements with federal institutions, including the Ministry of Sports, which was given to the PCdoB (Communist Party of Brazil) from the beginning of the PT (Workers' Party) government. This amount is 11,6 times greater than the R$1,1 million released during the two terms of Fernando Henrique Cardoso (PSDB). Disbursements were made only in 1995 (R$100) and 2002 (R$1 million).
A survey by the website Contas Abertas, based on the Integrated Financial Administration System (Siafi), shows that the agreements between UNE (National Union of Students) and the Ministry of Sports resulted in transfers of almost R$ 450 in 2004 and 2009. The 2009 agreement, worth R$ 250, provides for "training of sports and leisure managers". The 2004 agreement totaled R$ 199,6, for "promotion of educational sports events".
The Ministry that made the largest transfers to UNE was the Ministry of Culture, totaling R$ 8,5 million. One of the largest agreements, from 2009, worth R$ 1,459 million, granted "financial support to the project 'cultural and artistic activities of UNE'". In the same year, R$ 786,500 was transferred for "the realization of shows of Brazilian popular music and debates in the cities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro". The Ministry of Health, in 2008 alone, transferred R$ 2.8 million to a program to "support the education of workers in the Unified Health System (SUS)", according to Contas Abertas.
Due to the high amounts of money transferred to the UNE (National Union of Students) in recent years, prosecutor Marinus Marsico, representative of the Public Prosecutor's Office at the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU), requested information and copies of the students' financial statements from the ministries. According to the TCU press office, the clarifications from the federal institutions will be analyzed when the prosecutor returns from vacation next week. Marinus Marsico may request more information, submit an investigation request to the TCU, or close the procedure if he considers the financial statements satisfactory.
In response to questions submitted by the newspaper Estado, the UNE (National Union of Students) leadership detailed several agreements signed with the Lula government, such as the "Roda a Rede" and "Sempre Jovem e Sexagenária" programs with the Ministry of Culture, the "Caravana de Saúde, Educação e Cultura" (Health, Education and Culture Caravan) with the Ministry of Health, and sports activities at the 6th UNE Biennial of Art and Culture in Salvador in 2009 with the Ministry of Sports. "All agreements are public and available for public consultation. All resources were used to carry out activities organized by the UNE, such as congresses and cultural biennials," the statement said. According to the press office, the students have not yet received any notification or request for information from the TCU (Federal Court of Accounts).
The UNE (National Union of Students) denies that the high values of the agreements in recent years are linked to the arrival of an ally to power. "There is no such relationship. We also had agreements with the previous government," it says. The statement insists that "there is no connection or link between the UNE and political parties" and recalls that it has "members from all parties, including PSDB and DEM, and also those who have no affiliation whatsoever."
According to the UNE (National Union of Students) leadership, construction on the Flamengo Beach site will begin in the first half of 2012. "Given the scale of a project like the new UNE headquarters, the deadlines are within our expectations," says the UNE leadership. The final budget, they inform, has not yet been calculated.
In 2010, the only federal transfer registered in the Siafi system was an indemnity payment of R$ 30 million which, according to the UNE (National Union of Students), will be used for the construction of the building on Flamengo Beach. The project was a gift from the architect Oscar Niemeyer, a historical communist activist who turns 104 in December. The building will also house a museum, a cultural center, and a theater under the administration of the students.
It is most likely that the UNE (National Union of Students) and the UBES (Brazilian Union of Secondary School Students) will occupy two floors, with the remaining floors being rented out. Real estate market estimates that renting the ten floors would generate at least R$ 3 million annually. However, so far, all that exists is the empty lot and a huge poster honoring former UNE leader Honestino Guimarães, who disappeared during the dictatorship. The mansion that occupied the site served as the UNE headquarters until 1964, when it was burned down shortly after the military coup. In 1980, the remains of the mansion were demolished by the dictatorship. For over twenty years, the UNE has been located in its Vila Mariana headquarters in São Paulo.
Responsible for the technical design of the project, which has already been completed, architect João Niemeyer, Oscar Niemeyer's nephew, said that the final building permit should be issued by the city hall in a few days, and construction can begin as soon as the UNE (National Union of Students) gives the green light.