Brazilian courts issue rulings on administrative misconduct

Two separate judicial rulings in Brazil have addressed cases of administrative misconduct involving former municipal officials.

In Pau D’Arco, former mayor Laudeci Ribeiro da Silva Mendes was convicted of administrative improbity. The court found that the municipality deducted loan installments from civil servants' salaries but failed to transfer the funds to Caixa Econômica Federal, resulting in a debt of approximately R$ 177,185. This caused several employees to be listed in credit delinquency registries. The judge ordered the former mayor to return the funds with interest, pay a civil fine of 50% of the updated loss, and face a five-year suspension of political rights.

In Sebastião Barros, former mayor Nivaldo Roberto Nogueira Rodrigues and the company Wilson Rodrigues da Silva - ME were ordered to jointly reimburse R$ 613,900.20 to the public treasury. The ruling follows a 2014 investigation into bidding fraud regarding the rental of vehicles and machinery. The former mayor received a 12-year suspension of political rights and a civil fine, while the company is prohibited from contracting with the government or receiving tax incentives for ten years.