New settlements under land reform suspended in Brazil

The Federal Court of Accounts, known as TCU, ordered Wednesday (Apr. 6) the National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (INCRA) to suspend the selection and settlement of new beneficiaries under the National Field Reform Program.

The court reported signs of irregularities in the proceedings comprising 578 thousand beneficiaries, among them people who do not fit the profile or do not fulfill the requirements for taking part in the initiative, such as businesspeople, public servants, people with an income of over three times the minimum wage ($718.39), foreigners, and people with conspicuous signs of wealth, like expensive vehicles.

Also found were 1,017 beneficiaries occupying elected posts, among whom city councilors, state deputies, vice-mayors, mayors, and a senator. The list also included the names of 7 thousand deceased people.

TCU head Augusto Sherman understood that the selection and settlement of new beneficiaries should not move on, given the significant number of possibly irregular plots of land. If the signs are confirmed, INCRA may take the plots back grant them to people who really meet the legal criteria and need the land for farming and to earn a livelihood for themselves as well as their families.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira