Former secretary of the city of RS created companies in her own name to divert money The former secretary of the Treasury of Pinheiro Machado, in the South Region of Rio Grande do Sul, is the target of an operation by the Public Ministry (MP) and the Federal Police (PF) this Monday (13). Kauane Duarte Lopes is being investigated for the creation of a shell company and the embezzlement of R$1.46 million from public coffers. No one was arrested. When contacted by the report, the former secretary's defense informed that, even before complying with the court orders, she had already contacted the Public Ministry to provide clarification and collaborate with the investigation. ? Access the g1 RS channel on WhatsApp The action, coordinated by the Special Action Group to Combat Organized Crime (Gaeco) of the MPRS, carries out search and seizure warrants, in addition to blocking the property and vehicles of the person being investigated. The objective is to avoid the destruction of evidence and guarantee reimbursement to the municipality. The investigation began after Pinheiro Machado City Hall itself noted and reported the irregularities. According to the MP, payments of R$925,000 were identified to a company between 2025 and this year, as well as another R$535,000 to a second company in 2023, totaling R$1.46 million. The resources were intended for the purchase of medicines and materials used by the Municipal Health Department. Kauane left his position in April this year. According to the MP, the deviations would have occurred between 2023 and the beginning of 2026. According to prosecutor Rogério Meirelles Caldas, the former secretary circumvented the municipality's control systems by creating companies in her own name, with social reasons similar to those of city hall service providers. "The former secretary created companies of which she was a partner, with names similar to companies that provided health services and she determined the payment for herself", states the prosecutor. The next steps of the investigation include analyzing the seized evidence to check whether there are more misappropriated values. The MP will also search for documents in city hall departments, which collaborate with the investigations, and will carry out surveys with the Court of Auditors to quantify the amounts committed. Understand the scheme Resources intended for the purchase of medicines and health materials were processed by the Finance Department. Documents related to suppliers hired by the municipality were kept in official records, but payments were directed to companies linked to the former secretary through changes to documents and the use of adulterated invoices. The investigations indicate that the practice occurred between 2023 and 2026 and may have caused losses of approximately R$1.46 million to public coffers. Former city secretary of RS is suspected of embezzlement of millions Reproduction/RBS TV VIDEOS: Everything about RS