CADE leads debt collection programme

Authority raised over R$ 1.4 billion in debt collection

Published in Feb 05, 2025 05:30 PM

The Brazilian government launched the programme Desenrola Autarquias to encourage institutions and individuals to pay their debt with government agencies. According to the first partial balance by the Office of the Attorney General of Brazil (AGU), the programme presents a significant impact, especially for the Brazilian antitrust authority, which raised over BRL 2 billion already.

CADE was responsible for 60% of the debt collection, with transactions up to more than BRL 1.4 billion. This amount was a result of debt regularisation agreements involving companies and individuals coordinated in administrative proceedings regarding competition defence.

The programme is effective in recovering funds for the Fund for De Facto Joint Rights (FDD), with transactions involving both companies and individuals. On 30 December, 56 companies and individuals filed requests for participating in the programme to pay their debts with CADE. As part of these transactions, the fund already received more than BRL 1 billion in payments. The expectation is that the numbers will increase as new requests are processed by the Office of the Prosecutor General of Brazil (PGF).

The agreement with Votorantim Cimentos was the biggest transaction to this date, collecting BRL 1.09 billion.

Other examples of companies are Gerdau, with a transaction of BRL 256.1 million and ArcelorMittal Brasil with the amount of BRL 104.5 million.

The programme grants discounts to companies and individuals that have debts with federal agencies and public foundations. According to AGU the results exceed expectations and reflect the adhesion of companies that seek to pay off their debts.

CADE continues to process the remaining requests, filed in 2024, which will probably increase the total amount of debt collected in the programme.

The Desenrola Autarquias programme is an important tool to regulate taxes and to recover funds owed to the federal government. Federal authorities, such as CADE, play a crucial role in this programme, allowing companies to pay their debts while ensuring compliance with antitrust legislation.