Porto de Santos: TCU suspends R$ 1.06 billion auction

The Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) has issued a precautionary suspension of a R$ 1.06 billion auction for a 242,000-square-meter area in the Port of Santos. The contract, intended for a logistics condominium in the Saboó region, was awarded to Consórcio Portolog SPE for a 20-year term.

Minister Augusto Nardes cited “grave indications of irregularities,” including the potential misclassification of the land as “non-affecting” to port operations. This classification allowed the use of a simplified bidding process that bypassed mandatory prior analysis by the TCU and the National Agency for Waterway Transportation (Antaq). Critics argue the area is vital for container and general cargo movement according to the port's development plan.

The investigation also highlights potential conflicts of interest, as the winning consortium includes family members of TCU Minister Bruno Dantas, such as his father-in-law, wife, and brother-in-law. While Dantas has declared himself recused from the case, the court is investigating the legitimacy of the bidding process and the short 25-day window provided for proposals.