By Carol Amancio
Brazil's Federal Police (PF) say that Sérgio Ricardo de Almeida, president of the Mato Grosso state audit court (TCE-MT), withdrew R$ 15.6 million (Brazilian reais) in cash in just ten months. He was arrested on Thursday (Oct. 29) on the order of Justice Og Fernandes of the Superior Court of Justice (STJ), one of Brazil's highest courts. Mato Grosso is a state in Brazil's center-west.
The TCE-MT is the state body that oversees how public money is spent in Mato Grosso. The investigation focuses on suspected misuse of funds at the institution itself.
150 cash withdrawals in 294 days
According to the PF, there were 150 cash withdrawals between January 1 and October 22, 2025, a span of 294 days. Of these, 64 were made at the bank counter, totaling R$ 15.47 million, and another 86 were made at self-service terminals.
Financial intelligence reports cited by the PF indicate that on several occasions the amounts withdrawn were just below the limits that trigger automatic reporting to COAF, Brazil's financial intelligence unit, which monitors unusual transactions.
Police: councilor held command position
Investigators say the councilor, as the court's members are known, “heads a structure of financial operators.” The PF says he directed the court's management acts, authorized contracts and controlled the sectors involved in issuing the payments under investigation. According to the police, the alleged structure depends directly on that power of command.
The scheme, according to the investigation, would involve favoring companies contracted by the TCE in exchange for multimillion-real bribes. The PF also suspects that the councilor suspended contracts and blocked payments, citing budget cuts, as a way to pressure suppliers.
Police visit did not stop the withdrawals
After a police operation on October 14, 2025, the TCE-MT's access control logged the officers' presence, and security approached an agent who was observing the premises. Soon afterward, the cash withdrawals dropped for a while and the financial pattern changed. Shortly after, however, transactions considered suspicious resumed.
R$ 75.85 million under suspicion
The bank analysis, limited to those 294 days, identified suspicious financial movement of R$ 75.85 million. The PF notes that other people, not yet fully identified, may have taken part.
The report also points to a discrepancy: only R$ 288,501.05 was published in the councilor's name, while R$ 15.44 million was actually credited.
What comes next
In an opinion sent to the STJ, the Federal Prosecutor's Office (MPF) argues that the crimes under investigation, especially criminal organization and money laundering, are ongoing in nature and that the structure remains active. The prosecutors also cite records of withdrawals and payments still in 2026, which, in their view, make the facts current.
Another name appears in the inquiry: Roseli Loss, the president's chief of staff since January 1, 2024, who is also a target of Operation Tomada de Conta. The state audit court said it “will continue acting with responsibility and serenity.” Almeida's defense was contacted but had not responded by the time of publication.
The decision on the arrest and the next steps of the investigation now rest with the STJ.
VDD Analysis
Those who oversee the state's accounts must be the first to set an example of transparency. If the PF's suspicions are confirmed, Mato Grosso taxpayers will have reason to demand strict control over who runs the body that is supposed to watch over public money. So far, however, these are accusations under investigation, and the presumption of innocence must be respected.
