Attorney General confident about approval of 2014 accounts

Brazil's Attorney General Luís Inácio Adams said Monday (Jul 13) that the government is “fully confident” that the public accounts for 2014 will be approved by the Federal Court of Accounts (known as TCU). “We're fully confident that the TCU will be judicious and sensible enough to make such a high-level decision,” he said. Adams and Planning Minister Nelson Barbosa once again described as normal the plan of delaying disbursements to public banks earmarked for social programs. This practice, they argue, is legal.

The ministers talked to journalists after a nearly 2-hour meeting with President Dilma Rousseff at the presidential palace, in which 17 other ministers participated.

On Tuesday (14), Adams and Barbosa are expected to attend the meeting of the Senate's Commission on Economic Affairs and further clarify the matter. The minister of Planning said that he is available to talk to congressmen from all political parties.

The government has been given a deadline (July 22) to shed light on the issues listed by the TCU, which announced a 30-day postponement to deliberate on the 2014 accounts because a TCU minister required that possible instances of non-compliance with the Annual Fiscal and Budget Responsibility be explained.

The topic has been part of the government's agenda since then. Early in July, the president met with ministers, and party leaders from the governing base in Congress in an attempt to present justifications.

If the government's accounts are not approved by the TCU, the court will recommend that the National Congress reject them, which has never happened in the history of Brazil.

Adams reminded journalists that “the TCU is a place for technical debate,” and that “political debate belongs in Congress.”

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira