Bruno Dantas becomes first TCU minister to resign in more than 100 years

Bruno Dantas has become the first minister of Brazil’s Federal Court of Accounts, known as the TCU, to resign since the court was formally regulated 133 years ago.

Dantas announced his departure on Monday at age 48, ending 28 years of work in public service. He could have remained in the position for another 27 years, but will instead join the private sector as a senior partner for Latin America at a New York law firm.

The move comes with a three-year restriction on practicing before the TCU. No similar cooling-off period applies to his work before other courts.

A TCU minister holds a lifetime appointment, earns 44,000 reais a month in salary, along with benefits, and faces mandatory retirement at 75. The position attracts political interest because of its permanence, remuneration and the court’s authority to examine how the federal government uses public money.

The TCU serves as an external oversight body, checking the legality and proper use of federal resources. It has nine ministers: six selected by Congress and three appointed by the president. The presidential appointments include one freely chosen nominee, one TCU auditor and one member of the Public Prosecutor’s Office attached to the court.

Rui Barbosa created the TCU on Nov. 7, 1890. The court received formal regulation in January 1893 under Finance Minister Inocêncio Serzedello Corrêa, during Floriano Peixoto’s presidency. It began with four members.