Arrested over corruption suspicions, former São Paulo Finance director received bonuses and promotion after removal

Even after São Paulo’s government removed André Weiss from his post amid corruption suspicions, his pay increased. The former executive director of tax administration received R$228,000 in salaries between May, when he was removed, and July, while also receiving a promotion, a productivity award and a length-of-service bonus.

Weiss, a tax auditor, was arrested on Thursday in Operation Icarus. Governor Tarcísio de Freitas signed the decree removing him as executive director in May, but Weiss stayed in government as a tax auditor. On July 13, the department assigned him to another role as an assistant tax auditor in the director’s office, making him eligible for productivity awards.

In August, he received an additional payment granted to employees who complete 20 years of service. On the same day, he was awarded 90 days of special leave. Transparency Portal data showed that Weiss earned an average of R$53,700 per month from January through April. After his removal in May, that average rose to R$76,000. In June alone, he received R$107,000 in salary, or R$87,000 after deductions.

Until June, Weiss also received R$6,900 for serving on the fiscal council of CPTM, São Paulo’s metropolitan rail company. The Tarcísio administration told Painel that Weiss has been suspended and has received no remuneration since Thursday. It said the earlier promotions complied with the career rules for state revenue auditors, while the additional payments reflected objective criteria, including length of service, productivity awards and special leave. The government said amounts above the salary ceiling were back payments and that Weiss left the CPTM council in June.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office says Weiss formed and appointed the technical group responsible for reviewing tax exemptions for Ultrafarma and FastShop. Former auditor Paulo do Prado implicated him, alleging that Weiss received backpacks containing R$4.5 million in cash at a café in the Pinheiros area. Weiss and his lawyers could not be reached by the column.