Understand project that prohibits secrecy in travel expenses of authorities

The Chamber of Deputies approved last Thursday (21) a bill that prohibits the determination of secrecy for expenses with the corporate card of authorities - including presidents of the Republic and first ladies - on national and international trips.

Written by federal deputies Gustavo Gayer (PL-GO) and Marcel Van Hattem (Novo-RS), the project targets expenses such as food, daily allowances, accommodation, airline tickets, transportation and purchase of goods. The matter awaits analysis by the Federal Senate.

One of the targets of the proposal is First Lady Janja Lula da Silva, who frequently accompanies her husband, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), on official missions, and has her own entourage on trips outside the Central Plateau.

Reported by Sóstenes Cavalcante (PL-RJ), the project changes legislation to prevent interpretations of the LAI (Access to Information Law) that allow public spending to become confidential.

Currently, the law allows secrecy classifications in three categories:

- 5 years in the reserved category;
- 15 years in the secret category; e
- 25 years in the top secret category.

With the legislation proposed by Congress, the secrecy decreed would only be valid in clear situations of protection and security of the authority, such as details about the exact route, stopovers, means of transport and number of people in the delegation, with information regarding the amount spent.

Another section approved by the Chamber provides for the automatic declassification of information if the Joint Information Reevaluation Committee does not analyze, within 120 days, a request for confidentiality review presented by an interested party.

The text also authorizes Congress to review secrecy classifications and commission decisions through a legislative decree approved by both Houses.

Regarding punishments for possible abuses, the text considers classifying the imposition of secrecy to obtain personal advantage or hide a possible illegal act as administrative improbity and a crime of responsibility.

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Source: CNN