Paraíba Prosecutor Probes Waste Firm and Suspends Festival Funds Over Salary Deductions

The Ministério Público da Paraíba (MPPB) opened a criminal investigation into a waste‑collection company in João Pessoa after discovering that roughly 600 workers had payroll‑deducted loan installments withheld and not transferred to the banks since January 2025. The prosecutor’s office requested the Civil Police to launch an inquiry, citing possible embezzlement (appropriation indebita). Separate irregularities concerning unpaid social‑security contributions and FGTS were referred to the Federal Revenue Service and other competent bodies.

In a related but distinct action, a court in the municipality of Princesa Isabel ordered an immediate suspension of public spending on the São João festivities. The ruling, prompted by an MPPB civil‑public action, requires the municipality to regularize salaries of its employees and refund deductions taken from health‑cooperative workers, who had up to 50% of their wages withheld under the pretext of a “June holiday.” The decision also mandates full payment of the national nursing wage floor, imposing a daily fine of R$ 20,000 for non‑compliance.