How to be suspicious of irregularities in government accounts

By ETCO

Source: VEJA On-line - SP - BRASIL - 13/11/2009

Contrary to what common sense suggests, most citizens are able to suspect overpriced expenses for works or even assess whether a public resource could have a better destination than the one actually received, argues Valmor Slomski, professor at the Faculty of Economics and Administration at the University of São Paulo (FEA-USP). Read the full story on the subject and also check the transparency map in Brazil.

"Depending on the type of service provided, the person may even call the service provider and ask how much they would charge for the same task, if the contractor were a private company," says Slomski. At the request of VEJA.com, experts have prepared a list of tips that can help taxpayers to take advantage of the data provided by the De Olho nas Contas website, from São Paulo City Hall, which gathers various information about municipal accounts. The objective is to help the reader to suspect crimes and misuse of public resources.

How to take advantage of data and distrust irregularities

Tips for users of the São Paulo Transparency Portal


 1) Crossing of data check if the amount paid by the City Hall coincides with what appears in the contract of the respective service2) Deadlines compare the term established in the contract for the execution of the work or service and the actual amount spent for that purpose3) Priorities expenses also reveal management priorities : analyze and compare the programs of each secretariat4) If you are suspicious of the value of any work or service, call the company hired by the City Hall and ask how much it would charge for the same job, if the client was a private company5) Donor companies observe contracts with the City Hall of companies that made campaign donations to the mayor and councilors: donations are permitted by law, but it is important to keep an eye out for any irregularities. The list of donors is available on the website of the Superior Electoral Court Source: Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV), Brazilian Institute of Competitive Ethics (ETCO) and University of São Paulo (USP)