The Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts (Portuguese: Tribunal de Contas da União, often referred to as TCU) is Brazil's federal audit office. It provides assistance to the Congress of Brazil in its Constitutional duty to exercise external audit over the Executive Branch. Its members, known as Ministers, are appointed by the National Congress and the President of Brazil. The TCU employs a highly qualified body of civil servants to prevent, investigate and sanction corruption and malpractice of public funds,[1] with national jurisdiction.
Federal Court of Accounts | |
---|---|
Tribunal de Contas da União | |
Established | 7 November 1890 |
Jurisdiction | Brazil |
Composition method | Presidential nomination with confirmation from the Senate |
Authorised by | Constitution of Brazil |
Appeals from | Court of Audit |
Judge term length | Life tenure (mandatory retirement at age 75) |
Number of positions | 9 |
Language | Portuguese |
Website | www |
President | |
Currently | Bruno Dantas |
Vice President | |
Currently | Vital do Rêgo Filho |
The Court was established on November 7, 1890, although its origins can be traced back to the Royal Treasury (Erário Régio), founded in 1808 by King John VI. It is, therefore, one of the world's oldest institutions dedicated to national government accountability. Today, the TCU works in cooperation with the Comptroller-General of the Union (CGU), which oversees federal executive internal audit. The Court's work is further scrutinized by the Public Ministry.
In 2022 the TCU hosted the XXIV INCOSAI, a congress of INTOSAI, International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions.[2]
The TCU's efforts in 2011 resulted in saving 14 billion reais (US$7.44 billion) for Brazilian taxpayer. For every real spent by the court to prevent corruption and wasteful spending, 10.5 reais were saved.[3]
References
edit- ^ "Destaca-se o alto grau de profissionalização e autonomia da burocracia técnica dentro do TCU." Thiago Maciel de Aguiar. Análise Institucional do Tribunal de Contas da União e sua contribuição para o processo de consolidação da democracia no Brasil[permanent dead link]. University of Brasília, 2008. p. 20
- ^ INTOSAI: 50 Years (1953-2003), Vienna: International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions, 2004, p. 42
- ^ (20/04/2012 15:21) Resultados 2011: TCU gera benefícios de R$ 14 bilhões