The ousted mayor of Magé, Rio de Janeiro, is accused of forgery.
Nbia Cozzolino allegedly inflated the payroll with ghost employees.
The ousted mayor of Magé (RJ), Núbia Cozzolino, may have manipulated the municipality's payroll system to erase information about "ghost employees." According to a complaint filed today with the Public Prosecutor's Office, Núbia allegedly went to the city hall on Monday night, where she made unauthorized changes and inserted false data into the information system regarding employee payments.
Núbia was removed from office for abuse of political and economic power in the 2008 campaign. She faces 28 lawsuits for administrative misconduct, in addition to three hundred civil investigations and seven criminal charges. Last Sunday, she suffered another defeat with the election of Nestor Vidal (PMDB) to the Magé City Hall. He was in opposition to Núbia's government.
Based on the information received, the prosecutor requested a search and seizure warrant for computers and documents at the city hall. When executing the warrants today, officers found Núbia and a municipal employee in the room where the municipal employees' payroll is prepared. Both were taken to the police station. Six computers that were locked in a cabinet in the treasury room were seized. The court ordered the former mayor's removal from her duties as a state employee and prohibited her from entering the city hall.