(IPYS/IFEX) – On 20 April 2005, the Nova Andradina (Mato Grosso do Sul state) municipal council approved a new local law that prohibits its members from disclosing the contents of any documents concerning the council’s accounts. According to the text, this information can only be posted on the municipal council’s own website, which currently does […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – On 20 April 2005, the Nova Andradina (Mato Grosso do Sul state) municipal council approved a new local law that prohibits its members from disclosing the contents of any documents concerning the council’s accounts. According to the text, this information can only be posted on the municipal council’s own website, which currently does not exist. Public requests to access the information must now go through, and require the approval of, the municipal council secretary.
The new law is already in effect and was proposed after Councillor Tito José announced that he wanted to publish the council’s monthly financial statements on his own website.
According to the council’s spokesperson, Cleverton Santos, the measure was approved to “avoid councillors self-promoting themselves using public documents.” Santos argues that the law “does not impact on the public’s right to access information,” since any citizen can “make a formal request to the municipal council secretary.” A municipal council website is being created and is expected to be online in May 2005, where, Santos guarantees, “all the information will be available.”
The local Public Prosecutor’s Office is questioning the new law. Prosecutor Plínio Alessi Jr. says he will file a suit against the measure at the state level. “The law goes against federal and state constitutions. We will first act locally, within the Justice Department of Mato Grosso do Sul state, to try to revoke this initiative,” he stated.
This alert was prepared by IPYS with information provided by the Brazilian Investigative Journalism Association (Associação Brasileira de Jornalismo Investigativo, ABRAJI).
