Rio Exonerates 6,145 Commissioned Staff After Internal Audit

Overview

• The state government reported Tuesday that it has exonerated 6,145 commissioned positions and projects R$221 million in savings through December based on positions left vacant.
• Exonerações outpace new hires by a wide margin with 2,496 appointments made since March, meaning the removals equal more than 43% of the 14,340 commissioned posts that existed in March.
• Auditors from the Controladoria Geral do Estado and the Gabinete de Segurança Institucional flagged many 'ghost' appointees by cross-checking electronic system access and building-entry records and found nonattendance rates as high as about 80% in some secretarias.
• The administration has cut the number of secretarias from 32 to 28, suspended transfers tied to questioned contracts, and extinguished the Intergenerational Secretariat and the 60+ Reabilita project leading to 35 related exonerações including secretary Isabela Alves.
• Audits remain active across roughly 20 organs, meaning more removals are possible, and the gap between cuts and hires leaves services and program beneficiaries exposed while legal and political challenges from affected officials could follow.