On the International Day to Combat Corruption (9), the government launched three measures to tackle this problem: a project that will regulate the lobby, which is the work of defending private interests with public agents; public disclosure of the authorities’ agenda and a decree will increase protection for whistleblowers of corruption. To talk about these measures, the minister of the Comptroller General of the Union (CGU), Wagner Rosário, went to the program the voice of Brazil of this ThursdayMonday (9).
According to the minister, the bill for regulation of lobbying presented today it brings clear rules of transparency and integrity in the public-private relationship. Professionals who commit irregularities will be subject to the Register of Suspended Interest Representatives (Cris) and may be suspended from exercising their profession with public bodies for up to five years.
Another measure launched today to give more transparency to government activities is the organization of the authorities’ agenda system, all in one place. “You can cross data, verify with a name who met with whom. So it is a way that the government provides transparency in this public-private relationship so that any citizen can follow the agendas of public authorities,” he said.
Finally, the third anti-corruption measure announced on the international day on the subject is the adoption of mechanisms to prevent retaliation from officials or citizens who report fraud schemes. “We are giving full security to these names, clear rules for this name to be shared. Even if it is for the investigation area, it will be completely restricted and this gives greater security so that everyone can report without fear of suffering any kind of criticism or persecution”.
Rosário also spoke about other work fronts carried out by the CGU, such as the investigation of complaints against civil servants. Work that was facilitated by the use of artificial intelligence that performs a prior analysis: ill-informed allegations are returned to the authors so that they can complement them. The others are sent for verification. According to the minister, this year alone, 445 civil servants were dismissed from the public service. “We don’t like to fire civil servants, but there is a law, there are rules to be followed and whoever breaks the law will respond and will pay with the consequences that the law determines”, he said.
The CGU minister also spoke about the leniency agreements signed through the controllership – when companies admit that they are involved in irregularities in exchange for easing the penalty. Since 2014 there have been 17,000 leniency agreements. About BRL 5.5 billion have already been recovered and the government. “We receive information that helps us to proceed with investigations against other people involved.” Health plans are reviewed and monitored by CGU staff. “For the citizen in general, you have an increase in asset recovery, you have the company’s sanction and you have an increase in the level of integrity of the companies. She has to commit to ethics, stay away from corruption cases. Everyone wins: society and the government too”.
