Mayor investigated for pocketing flood aid

sbs.com.au, 20 August 2010 | 07:21:51 AM | Source: AFP

A mayor in northeastern Brazil is under investigation for declaring floods that never existed in order to pocket one million dollars in emergency aid.

Recent floods in other parts of Brazil left
thousands homeless. (Getty)

Suspicion fell on Ademar Pinto Rosa, mayor of Guaratinga, when the state prosecutor's office found the national weather service had no records of any rain falling June 15-16 on the town as claimed.

The investigating prosecutor, Bruno Gontijo Teixeira, told the Globo news website he had found "bizarre" Pinto Rosa's declaration that his town had been ravaged by heavy rains, flooding and mudslides that destroyed 10 homes and two bridges.

"These rains never existed. It was all a hoax," Gontijo said.

If found guilty of fraud, the mayor will have to reimburse the state funds already paid and risks being sacked.