Scandal in São Paulo: A Twist in the Ethics Committee

Recently, the president of São Paulo’s Deliberative Council, Olten Ayres de Abreu Júnior, carried out a controversial move and removed two members from the club’s Ethics Committee: José Edgard Galvão and Fábio Cesar de Souza Azambuja. The timing could not be more intriguing, since an investigation into Olten himself is currently underway, related to a case involving a supposed “ghost secretary” at the club.

What happened?

José Edgard, who was the case’s rapporteur, was about to make serious recommendations, including the expulsion of Olten from the club. Fábio was also in the same line of thinking, and yet both were removed from the committee without a clear explanation. The decision left many people stunned.

The “secretary” scandal

It all began in May, when UOL revealed that São Paulo fired an employee who was linked to the presidency of the Council. This professional was paid about R$ 7 thousand per month, and what went over poorly was that she worked from home, but never showed up at Morumbi or the Barra Funda Training Center.

One of the details that caught attention was that the time sheets were sent from an email linked to Olten Ayres’s law office! He confirmed that the woman was his secretary, but assured that there was nothing irregular about it.

In addition, the time records showed the same hours on different days, which raised many suspicions, since the club does not typically adopt remote work as a rule.

The new petition

After being removed from the post, José Edgard and Fábio did not stand still. They filed a new petition asking for the immediate suspension of Olten Ayres from the presidency of the Deliberative Council. They question whether it is right for a president to remove committee members, especially when there are ongoing proceedings that involve him personally.

José Edgard was baffled by the decision and wrote a letter to the councilors expressing his outrage. He noted that the removal happened in the middle of petitions that were already in the stage of being judged.

“If a rapporteur can be suspended while conducting procedures regularly assigned, it is legitimate to question the Commission’s independence,” he warned.

Stay Tuned!

The episode was classified as particularly serious, and José Edgard emphasized that it is not ethical for someone to remove the rapporteur of a process in which he himself is being investigated. UOL has already contacted Olten’s legal team to learn more about the matter and promises to update the report once there is a response.

So what do you think of this mess at São Paulo? What are the next chapters in this story? Let’s follow it together!