TCU condemns former pro-rector for 'worthless work' at UFJF and charges more than R$20 million

Cable car was announced as an attraction for the UFJF Botanical Garden Rodrigo Souza/TV Integração The Federal Audit Court (TCU) sentenced the former vice-rector of Planning and Management at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), Alexandre Zanini, to return more than R$20 million to the public coffers. According to the court, irregularities were identified in the contracting of the cable car and mountain sled at the Jardim Botânico. In the decision, the TCU stated that the project is 'useless' and useless, which would have caused damage to public coffers. The court also imposed a fine of R$2 million on Zanini. The decision can still be appealed. ? Click here to follow the g1 Zona da Mata channel on WhatsApp Alexandre Zanini's defense informed that he appealed and states that he was held responsible only for having initiated the bidding process, having not participated in the contracting, execution or inspection of the work. Therefore, he did not commit any act that would justify the conviction. Read the full note below. Announced in 2012, the cable car would connect the viewpoint in the Alto Eldorado neighborhood to Jardim Botânico, in the Santa Terezinha neighborhood. The works began, but were never completed. According to the TCU, Zanini must return the amounts paid in two contracts: R$920,300, relating to the preparation of the executive project. R$ 23.8 million, allocated to the works, acquisition and installation of the cable car and sled. From the reimbursement amount, R$ 1.6 million obtained by UFJF from the mountain sled auction held in 2023 can still be deducted. Alexandre Zanini was pro-rector of Planning and Management at UFJF under rector Henrique Duque UFJF/Disclosure Former dean Henrique Duque was not held responsible The TCU removed responsibility from the then dean Henrique Duque de Miranda Chaves. According to the court, there is no evidence that he participated in the decision to implement the cable car and sled. The Court also understood that the signing of the contracts, in itself, is not enough to hold him responsible for the planning flaws highlighted before the contracting. The report made contact with Henrique Duque's defense, who confirmed his “full discharge” in the case. g1 also contacted UFJF, but did not receive a response until the publication of this report. Note from the defense of Alexandre Zanini A special accounting process (TCE) was initiated at the Federal Court of Auditors (TCU), aiming to determine responsibilities for the alleged occurrence of damage to the Treasury, in relation to the bidding procedures and administrative contracts signed by the UFJF and which had as their object the construction of the mountain sled and the cable car in the Botanical Garden. The TCU technical units concluded that Prof. Alexandre Zanini, then vice-rector of Planning at UFJF, had signed the initial documents (justifications) for the launch of the bidding procedures that resulted in the signing of the contracts, the execution of which subsequently became unfeasible due to several factors described in the records (and unrelated to any commissive or omissive act attributable to Prof. Alexandre Zanini). This position ended up prevailing in the first trial held at the TCE, whose decision ended up imputing responsibility for the alleged damages to Prof. Alexandre Zanini, repeat, for the sole reason that he had started the bidding processes. An appeal for reconsideration has already been filed, still pending analysis by the TCU, where, we hope, there will be a reversal of this understanding, given that: (i) the TCU's punitive and compensatory claims have been prescribed; (ii) objective punitive liability was imposed on the appellant, for the sole reason that, in his capacity as then dean of Planning at UFJF at the time of the events, he initiated the bidding procedure that resulted in the signing of an administrative contract; (iii) did not participate in any phase of the bidding process (judgment of proposals or qualification of companies, nor approved the bid); (iv) did not sign the administrative contract, did not authorize any payments and did not sign any additional terms to the contracts; (v) he was not the public agent responsible for supervising the work or administrative contracts. Therefore, he never committed any intentional or negligent act that caused any damage to the Treasury. MORE and with no expected end date ‘Why did you stop?’ Series: Works at UFJF are stopped and no expected end date VIDEOS: see everything about Zona da Mata and Campos das Vertentes