Amid dissatisfaction of control bodies, Roberto Jefferson’s brother leaves secretariat in AM; learn about other changes in government

Priscilla Peixoto – Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – Ricardo Luiz Monteiro Francisco was dismissed as secretary of the Amazonas Secretary of Cities and Territories by governor Wilson Lima (PSC) on Monday, 8. The information of the exoneration of the brother of former deputy Roberto Jefferson was published in the Official State Journal (DOE-AM) and marks a new chapter in the management of Amazonas secretariats.

“The governor of the State of Amazonas, in the exercise of the power conferred upon him by Article 54, I, of the State Constitution, resolves to exonerate Mr. Ricardo Luiz Monteiro Francisco, from the position of trust of Secretary of State of Cities and Territories, contained in the Sole Annex, Part 19, of Delegated Law No. 123, of October 31, 2019”, the published text informs.

According to official information, to assume the title of the office in place of Ricardo Francisco, the CEO of the Superintendence of Housing (Suhab), João Braga, was chosen, accumulating two functions.

“To appoint Mr. João Coelho Braga Director-President of the State Superintendence of Housing, to, without prejudice to his duties and until further deliberation, respond to the position of trust of Secretary of State of Cities and Territories, contained in the Sole Annex, Part 19, of Delegated Law No. 123, of October 31, 2019”, the publication reads.

Note

The Amazonas Government’s Press Office fired a note in the networks on Wednesday, 10, about the Sect’s change. “Following guidelines for better management of the land issue in the State, the State Department of Cities and Territories (Sect) now has the command of João Coelho Braga, who assumes the office accumulating attributions already exercised as the CEO of the State Superintendence of Housing (Suhab).

Damages

In February, the then-secretary of Cities and Territories of Amazonas, Ricardo Francisco, was targeted by the control bodies, after presenting a lack of technical preparation and having his credibility questioned ahead of the management of the State’s land policy.

In office since June 26, 2019, the secretary generated irreversible economic and social damage to residents of Conservation Units (UCs) of Amazonas – which are those who act directly in the protection of forests – by making it impossible to issue the Concession of Real Right of Use (CDRU) to these communities. Amazonas has more than 40 UCs with over 26,000 families.

At the time, Ricardo Francisco’s conduct was a topic debated in the last edition of the “Amazonas Dialogue Forum”, created in 2012 to discuss measures for the advancement of landholding regularization in Amazonas, under the organization of the International Institute of Education of Brazil (IEB), the National Council of Extractive Populations (CNS) and mediators from the State Attorney General’s Office (PGE) and the Federal Public Ministry (MPF).

Fraud at Sect

In September of this year, Sect’s employees were pointed out as suspects in a document fraud scheme for obtaining definitive land titles in the State. The illegality was discovered after an investigation by the Civil Police, as part of Operation Gleba.

In the second phase of the operation, a businessman from the fishing sector in the state of Amazonas was identified as one of the people involved in the document fraud to obtain definitive land titles in the state. José Erivaldo acquired a land of 11,000 square meters and divided the property among 11 people.

During the investigations started in 2020 after denunciations made to the Amazonas Civil Police. In addition to the servers, a former employee – exonerated in August 2020 – was one of the targets. The suspect used a badge to identify himself as a public official and capture land buyers.

Substitutions

During his administration, governor Wilson Lima made several changes in the Amazonas State Secretariats. Only in March of this year, the secretaries of five departments were changed. Among the changes are:

Sérgio Litaiff Filho, who took over the Amazonas State Tourism Company (Amazonastur) from being the holder of the Amazonas Sustainable Development Agency (ADS), an agency linked to the Sepror System, took over the office of the former executive secretary of Seas, Michelle Macedo Bessa.

The person responsible for Amazonastur, Roselene Silva de Medeiros, moved to the general coordinator of the Integrated Unit of Articulation to Communities (Uiac), linked to the Civil House of the Government of Amazonas. The position previously held by Miltinho Castro da Silva.

The Amazonas High Performance Foundation (Faar) has also undergone changes, Jorge Elias Costa de Oliveira, took over the position held by Roberto Augusto Tapajós Folhadela. In the State Department of Social Assistance (Seas), state lawmaker Alessandra Campelo heads the governmental portfolio in place of Maricília Costa.

SSP, PGE and Seduc

In August, governor Wilson Lima (PSC) announced the change of command in the Department of Public Safety, (SSP). The Army General Carlos Alberto Mansur assumes the responsibility that until then was Louismar Bonates. At the time, Bonates said he left the post due to health reasons.

In education, the then coordinator of the Accelerated Program for the Development of Education in Amazonas, Kuka Chaves replaces Luis Fabian Barbosa, who was redirected to act as secretary of government. The Attorney General of the State (PGE) is under the responsibility of Giordano Bruno Costa da Cruz.