FAPESP (São Paulo State Research Support Foundation) identified the deviation of at least R $ 5.3 million in public resources for projects from the Unicamp Institute of Biology, between 2013 and 2024.
The conclusion contained in the final report of an internal audit and resulted in the filing of 34 collection actions against the researchers responsible for the accounts linked to the projects.
According to FAPESP, the analysis of the accountability of a specific project revealed inconsistencies that were repeated in other initiatives of the same institute. The audit pointed out that the deviations were committed by a former employee of the FUNCAMP (Unicamp Development Foundation) support office, responsible for the administrative management of resources.
FAPESP filed 34 collection actions against those responsible for the projects in which irregularities were found. The processes are being processed in the Public Treasury of Campinas and São Paulo.
To date, 3 court decisions have condemned researchers to return amounts ranging from $ 31,000 to $ 242,000, with an increase in monetary correction and interest. Two other researchers chose to reimburse the amounts administratively, totaling R $ 38,000.
In addition to FAPESP’s internal investigation, the São Paulo Public Prosecution Service conducts parallel investigations in the civil and criminal sphere.
Unicamp reported that it collaborates with investigations conducted by the prosecutor. According to the university, an internal investigation was opened, but the process was filed after the findings were being reimbursed by teachers directly to FAPESP. The institution said it could reopen the investigation if new elements arise.
“FAPESP found irregularities in the rendering of accounts of research projects promoted by FUNCAMP/UNICAMP and developed at the Unicamp Institute of Biology.”
“Analyzing the accountability of a specific project, it was found that the same incongruities were repeated in other research projects based there.
“These incongruities were indicative of misappropriation of public resources granted by FAPESP, practiced maliciously by a employee of the FUNCAMP/UNICAMP Support Office, and occurred through the issuance and payment of fraudulent invoices issued by a microenterprise of its ownership, as well as bank transfers to your personal account.
“In the regard of FAPESP, the researchers responsible for the research contributed guilty to these deviations, as they unduly franchised third parties to bank accounts linked to the projects.
“FAPESP filed a collection actions against all the researchers responsible for projects in which deviations were verified, in a total of 34 actions.”
“These actions are being processed with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Court of the Public Treasury of Campinas District and also in São Paulo – Capital, with most of them still in the process of procedural instruction.
“In the three court cases where there was a favorable decision, the researchers were ordered to return, respectively, R $ 43,924.74, R $ 31,255.97 and R $ 242,782.19, plus monetary correction and default interest.
“There are also cases of two researchers who chose to reimburse the administrative way, which added total R $ 38,229.20. Such values have already been returned.
“The final report of the investigation on the case concluded that the potential total diversion of resources was R $ 5,384,215.88, which occurred between 2013 and 2024. Of this amount, R $ 5,077,075.88 were diverted through Banking Accounts from Ligiane Marinho, former employee of Funcamp, and the rest through accounts linked to three legal entities.”
“It should also be noted that, within the scope of its own attributions, the São Paulo Public Prosecutor is investigating the case through civil inquiry and also through criminal proceedings.”
Read the Unicamp note:
“Unicamp is following and collaborating with the prosecutor in the investigations being done.
“The university has completed the open inquiry to investigate the facts, having decided to file the process, since the financial losses are being supported by teachers with FAPESP, but may reopen internal investigations, if new elements are presented.
Internally, Unicamp is preparing a normative to discipline support from teachers who directly receive resources for research agencies, according to the rules and guidelines of these agencies, especially FAPESP ”.