João Pessoa city hall halts Roger landfill park project over contract breaches

The municipal government of João Pessoa ordered the immediate suspension of works on the first phase of the Roger landfill environmental park, part of the João Pessoa Sustainable Program. The project, being carried out by the Consortium Cetus Lomacon João Pessoa, was halted after technical inspections identified serious contractual non‑compliance, including missed physical‑financial milestones, failure to meet environmental recovery targets, and risks of environmental damage and public‑fund loss. An administrative order published in the city’s official gazette on 3 May authorized the suspension, allowing only essential services such as environmental monitoring, site security and cooperation with municipal oversight to continue.

The city has opened a contractual termination process under procurement law, which may result in penalties ranging from fines to unilateral contract rescission and a possible declaration of ineligibility for future public contracts. The consortium must keep environmental control systems operational while the investigation proceeds.