Tarso confirms Busato for the Public Works department.

Iuri Müller and Nicolas Pasinato
On the 21 - Operation Kilowatt, a Civil Police operation investigating overbilling and possible embezzlement in public works in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, is expected to implicate more people in the incidents. This is according to the Tax Police, which is leading the investigations. As of Monday (13), the people who were temporarily arrested have already been released.

On Monday (13), in a brief interview, after a meeting with the Secretary of Public Works of the government, Luiz Carlos Busato (PTB), the governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Tarso Genro, confirmed that Busato will remain in charge of the secretariat. Tarso also informed that the name of the new Director of Works will be announced in the coming days. He did not, however, say whether the position will remain with the PTB. In addition, it was announced that the employees with commissioned positions (CCs) in the department, involved in the allegations, have already been dismissed and that the school renovation works will continue.

The investigation focuses its searches on private companies and the Education (Seduc) and Public Works (SOP) secretariats – the latter being the central focus of the Civil Police's investigations. On Monday morning, Seduc confirmed the removal of the secretariat's Administrative Director, Claudio Sommacal. The Civil Police had executed one of the search warrants at his apartment. Through its press office, Seduc stated that only the Civil House is commenting on the matter.

“The investigation is ongoing, but there was a search warrant for the apartment because his activities were under investigation. But whether or not he was involved, we need to wait for the conclusion of the inquiry,” stated Daniel Mendelski, delegate of the Tax Fraud Division. Among the projects that are allegedly overpriced, according to the Civil Police, are schools that are being renovated by the state government.

In recent days, Secretary Busato questioned the version of events presented by the Rio Grande do Sul police. Busato stated to the press that the works may have been poorly executed, but that there was not necessarily proof of overpricing or misappropriation of public funds. Mendelski stated that the detectives handling the case will not comment on the secretary's statements at this time.

“Since the secretary expressed himself within the scope of the Public Works Department, the response would have to be given at the leadership level or by the Public Security Department, through Secretary (Airton) Michels,” said Daniel Mendelski. The Civil Police have been investigating the cases, which involve at least three private companies, for about a year. The delegate assures that in the coming days new names should be implicated in the episodes. The investigation remains open.

The most discussed case after the announcement of the operation was that of the Prof. Oscar Pereira State School, located in the South Zone of Porto Alegre. The school had received funds to remodel the roof, but documents showed that only a section had been renovated. Busato even said that the funds could have been used for other improvements to the school, even if they were initially intended for the roof. Despite the controversy, Mendelski said that "the strength of the evidence is the same in all the projects."