Brazil Allows Ex-Ministers to Collect Salaries While Campaigning

Former Brazilian ministers Márcio França and Rui Costa have received authorization to collect their salaries for six months after leaving their government positions, a period known as paid quarantine. This measure, designed to prevent former officials from leveraging privileged information in the private sector, will allow them to receive pay equivalent to their ministerial roles while they campaign for elected office.

França, formerly the Minister of Entrepreneurship, is running as the vice-governor candidate for São Paulo, while Costa, who led the Chief of Staff office, is seeking a Senate seat in Bahia. The Ministry of Management and Innovation confirmed that neither minister has received any payments yet, but the quarantine pay is set to begin in August for the July payroll.

Several other former ministers, including Márcio Macedo, Cida Gonçalves, Ana Moser, and Nísia Trindade, also received paid quarantine in the past, totaling R$ 642,000 in salaries. To be eligible, ministers must inform the Ethics Commission of their intention to return to the private sector in areas with potential conflicts of interest. The commission then decides whether to approve the paid leave.

França stated that the quarantine is both legally sound and ethically necessary, citing his access to strategic government information. He mentioned an invitation to consult for the Union of Micro and Small Industries, acknowledging a potential conflict of interest despite the role being consistent with his public career. In May, after leaving his ministerial post, França received R$ 46,000 in indemnities, a compensation for returning to his home state, in addition to his R$ 46,400 gross monthly salary.

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not only legally adequate, but also ethically necessary. I had access to strategic and sensitive information, related to public policies, government programs and economic guidelines. I received an invitation from the Union of Micro and Small Industry It is a legitimate activity, consistent with my public trajectory. However, I recognize that there is, yes, a potential conflict of interests