Mayor who went to the beach with city hall car is convicted and loses office

The Justice of Minas Gerais convicted the mayor of Rio Acima, Felipe Gonçalves Santos, for administrative impropriety. The sentence, handed down in the first instance, determines the loss of public function and the suspension of political rights for five years after proving that the politician used an official city hall vehicle for private vacation trips with his family to Rio de Janeiro.

The decision of Judge Maria Juliana Albergaria Costa accepted the thesis of illicit enrichment, pointing out that the Toyota Corolla, rented with municipal funds to serve exclusively the secretariats, was diverted for personal benefit. As the conviction has not yet become final (when there is no longer any possibility of appeals), Felipe Gonçalves remains in office while he appeals the decision.

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Vacations funded by the treasury

Investigations by the Public Prosecutor’s Office proved that the vehicle was misused on at least two occasions, in January and April 2022. The set of evidence included toll records in the cities of Barbacena (MG) and Duque de Caxias (RJ), as well as monitoring that caught the car circulating in the capital of Rio de Janeiro towards beach areas.

In his defense, the mayor confessed to the use of the car, but claimed to have carried out an informal “sublease” of the vehicle with the rental company hired by the city for the second trip. The argument was rejected by the magistrate, who highlighted the lack of contractual provision for such an arrangement and the malice (intention) in the conduct of the public agent.

Penalties and compensation

In the sentence, the Court highlighted the deviation of purpose, emphasizing that the manager was fully aware that he was using a public asset for private purposes. In addition to the loss of mandate and the suspension of political rights, Felipe Gonçalves was sentenced to full compensation for the damage to the treasury – with amounts that must be monetarily corrected – and to pay a civil fine.