Brazil's TCU finds irregularities in 82% of Pix parliamentary transfers

The Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) carried out its largest audit of special parliamentary transfers, known as "emendas Pix", analysing 100 transfers made between 2020 and 2024. The audit uncovered irregularities in 82 of the 100 cases, affecting 61 of the 74 states and municipalities examined. Problems identified include overpricing, fraud in bidding, misuse of bank accounts, insufficient planning, lack of traceability and payments for non‑existent works. The total amount under review was R$ 198.1 million, with an estimated potential damage to the public treasury of up to R$ 55.4 million.

The findings were forwarded to the Supreme Court (STF), the Federal Police, the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Comptroller‑General of the Union (CGU) for further investigation. The audit also highlighted a very low transparency score – an average of 26.7 out of 100 on the Active Transparency Indicator for Special Transfers.

Separately, political commentator Danilo Campetti criticised the federal government for releasing R$ 33.9 billion in emendas Pix during the first half of the year, describing the timing as an electoral strategy. While the TCU audit points to systemic flaws, the political debate underscores the broader controversy over the use of these fast‑track funds.