Government explains delay in transferring payroll loan payments to banks.

By Piauí Hoje/Paulo Pincel - The opposition has once again accused the government of misappropriating public funds based on a preliminary report by auditors from the Directorate of Inspection of the State Administration (DFAE) of the Court of Auditors (TCE), which pointed to irregularities in the transfer to banks of funds collected from civil servants related to payroll loans in 2017, as well as deductions for Iapep-Saude and Plamta, collected but not passed on to affiliated hospitals, clinics and doctors. 

The loans were deducted from paychecks, but were not transferred to the banks. The amounts refer to deductions for the State Health plans - Iapep and Plamta, insurance plans, loans and financing with payroll deductions.

The report from the TCE-PI auditors points to a shortfall of R$ 200 million, collected but not passed on to banks, doctors, and hospitals.

The State Secretariat released a statement clarifying the DFAE report. The Government leader, Deputy Francisco Lima (PT), also criticized the opposition, which he said was condemning the managers without any evidence, without the right to a defense or rebuttal.

The full text of the clarification note from SEFAZ-PI:

Regarding the State Audit Court's report on the regularity of state payroll deductions, the State Finance Secretariat (SEFAZ) provides the following clarifications:

1- The State Finance Department (SEFAZ) has not yet been officially notified about the matter, but it has already stated that it will provide all necessary clarifications. It assures that all defenses are being prepared by the State Treasury's technical staff, so that they can justify, in detail, all the questions raised by this important oversight body, within the 15-day period stipulated by the State Audit Court (TCE).

2- It is important to emphasize that the aforementioned TCE report is preliminary, meaning it is still pending rebuttal and judgment. Therefore, the state's managers have not yet even exercised their right to present their defenses. And, when they do, they are confident that everything will be clarified, just as happened in similar recent reports.

3- It is also worth noting that the figures in this report, regarding the regularity of payroll deductions from the Government of the State of Piauí for the fiscal year 2017, will be duly contested. Furthermore, most of the total amount cited as debt or overdue payments in the aforementioned document has already been settled, and a schedule for settlement has been presented for the remainder. According to an initial survey conducted by the Directorate of the Financial Management Unit (UNIGEF) of the State Treasury Superintendency, this amount related to payroll deductions for PLAMTA and IAPEP Saúde currently represents less than R$ 40 million. In addition, there is practically no outstanding debt related to banks, with an estimated debt currently of less than R$ 10 million. Similarly, there are no outstanding debts related to unions and associations for the aforementioned fiscal year.

4-Furthermore, Sefaz also clarifies that, even in the face of all the economic difficulties faced by the federative units throughout the country, the State is regularizing the delays regarding the transfer of PLAMTA and IAPEP Saúde health plans to the accredited network, according to the schedule presented last Tuesday (19), and the first installment of this schedule, in the amount of R$ 20 million, has already been transferred.

5- Regarding the use of the administrator password, the Directorate of the Accounting Control Unit (UNICON) of the State Treasury Superintendency (SUTESP) explains that the use of automation tools for routines in the SIAFE-PI system is justified by the fact that, if performed manually by users of various state agencies, as suggested in the TCE report, it would take a lot of time and compromise the opening of the 2018 fiscal year, harming payments essential to the basic functioning of the State, especially in the areas of health, security and education. It is also worth noting that at the beginning of 2018, SEFAZ received notification from the TCE itself to open the system as soon as possible for the execution of its payments.

6- Regarding the procedures for canceling commitments at the end of the fiscal year, UNICON informs that the State Finance Secretariat (Sefaz) only sought to follow a recommendation from the State Audit Court (TCE), which pointed out as a flaw the fact of leaving expenses in "Accounts Payable" without financial coverage in 2016 (process TC/003321/2016). Therefore, in October 2017, it convened representatives from all state agencies to adjust the commitment balances of expenses with their respective cash capacity until December 28th of the current year, seeking to comply with the aforementioned recommendation. These two measures adopted by the State, justified in items 5 and 6, had already been communicated in the presentation of the State's General Balance Sheet for 2017, sent to the TCE and published in the Official Gazette in May 2018.

7- It should be noted that during the 2017 fiscal year there was a shortfall in revenue from the State Participation Fund (FPE), which had a major impact on the finances of Piauí, as also occurred in other states, which are even experiencing payroll arrears.

8- In light of these initial explanations, and certain that any and all questions will be duly clarified and justified when the State's defense is presented to the TCE (Court of Accounts), the Government emphasizes that it is confident regarding this latest report and praises the important role of the TCE in overseeing the bodies of state and municipal administrations to ensure the proper and correct application of public resources for the benefit of the population of Piauí.

Best Regards,

State Secretary of Finance, Antonio Luiz Soares Santos, tax auditor for the Treasury since 1994.

Superintendent of the State Treasury (SUTESP), Emílio Júnior, tax auditor for the Treasury since 2001.

Director of the Accounting Control Unit (UNICON), Ricjardeson Rocha Dias, treasury analyst since 2009.

Director of the Financial Management Unit (UNIGEF), Cristiano Natalício Neves de Oliveira, treasury analyst since 2009.

State Financial Execution Manager (GEFES), Martha Bernadeth Soares, a technician at the state treasury since 2006 and a member of the Sefaz staff since 1984.