Brazilian Court of Accounts orders recovery of funds in Colatina

The Espírito Santo State Court of Accounts (TCE-ES) has ordered the Colatina City Hall to recover over R$ 40,000 paid incorrectly to the municipality's public transport concessionaire. An audit revealed that between 2022 and 2023, the city paid higher subsidies than required because students, who are entitled to a 50% fare discount, were incorrectly accounted for as full-fare passengers.

The error resulted in overpayments of R$ 40,260.55 in 2022 and R$ 3,362.70 in 2023. While the audit also identified irregularities regarding fleet control and tariff revisions, some findings were dismissed following official justifications.

There was a disagreement among councilors regarding liability. The rapporteur suggested the former Secretary of Transport should personally reimburse the amount, but the prevailing vote determined that the concessionaire should be responsible for the repayment. The current Secretary of Transport has 90 days to prove the recovery of the funds, either through deductions from future subsidies or a defined installment plan.