AGU Questions Supreme Court on 533 Million Reais Request for Perks

The Office of the Attorney General has petitioned the Supreme Court to clarify requests for extraordinary credit totaling 533 million reais. The Federal Public Ministry and the Federal Justice Council are seeking funds to pay for benefits such as the seniority-based appreciation bonus. The total amount consists of 324 million reais for the Public Ministry and 209 million reais for the Federal Justice system.

The Ministry of Planning and Budget assessed that these requests do not meet the urgency requirements to justify extraordinary credits. The ministry emphasized that this constitutional tool is reserved for situations like natural disasters and humanitarian crises. The Attorney General asked the Supreme Court to define how to proceed given the budget shortfalls reported by the requesting agencies.

Granting new expenses outside the fiscal framework limits puts pressure on public accounts at a time when the government is pursuing a surplus. The accumulated primary deficit of the Central Government reached 90.2 billion reais through September. Public debt hit 9.38 trillion reais in the same period which represents 68.1 percent of the national Gross Domestic Product.

The legal deadlock involves the payment of the five-year seniority bonus which allows earnings above the civil service pay cap. The Supreme Court ruling that reinstated this perk established a legal precedent in March of this year. The government is now awaiting guidance from the Court on how to comply with the mandate without compromising the current budget plan.