TCU (Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts) notifies lottery agency of fraud and demands the return of R$ 336 to Caixa's (Brazilian Federal Savings Bank) coffers.

The Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) notified Casa Lotérica Mútua Ltda of irregularities in its accounts, ordering the return of R$ 336.519,47 to the coffers of Caixa Econômica Federal. The decision was published this Monday (8) in the Official Gazette of the Union , after judgment of process TC 020.995/2023-7, which considered the company's accounts irregular.

The amount to be reimbursed is already updated with interest for late payment up to November 25, 2025, and must be paid under a joint and several liability regime between the company and Renato Costa Pinheiro, an individual linked to the case.

The process originated from a special audit initiated by Caixa Econômica Federal on November 29, 2022, against Renato Costa Pinheiro, who served as Manager of Customer Service and Government Relations at the Alcântara/RJ branch (0889). The investigation uncovered fraudulent financial transactions in the financial statements of lottery units starting in January 2017.

In addition to the principal refund, the TCU (Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts) imposed a fine of R$ 50 on the lottery agency, based on article 57 of Law 8.443/1992. This amount must be paid to the National Treasury and is also subject to monetary correction until the date of actual payment.

The notification was formalized through Public Notice No. 890/2025-TCU/SEPROC, dated December 4, based on article 22, III, of Law 8.443/1992. Ruling 599/2025-TCU-Plenary, reported by Minister Jorge Oliveira and approved in the session of March 19, established a fifteen-day deadline for proof of reimbursement.

According to the Caixa's internal investigation report, the fraudulent scheme involved a businessman who misappropriated more than R$ 9 million from the financial institution, relating to amounts collected by his lottery outlets. To do this, he relied on the support of manager Renato Costa Pinheiro, who concealed the negative balances in the accounts of operations linked to the lottery outlets.

The document warns that non-compliance may result in the inclusion of the responsible party's name in the federal public sector's register of unpaid debts and possible legal action before the Federal Court, as provided for in articles 19, 23, III, "b", 24 and 28, II, of Law 8.443/1992.

The Secretariat for Support to Process Management (Seproc) reported that Casa Lotérica Mútua was also notified about Ruling 1057/2025-TCU-Plenary, which partially modified the previous decision, rendering sub-items 9.3 and 9.9 of the first Ruling ineffective, specifically regarding the companies Acertei Loteria Esportiva Ltda. and Favorita Loteria Esportiva Ltda.

The modus operandi of the fraud consisted of delaying the processing of outstanding debts, maintaining the accounts of operation 043 of the lottery units with a negative balance and the accounts of operation 003 with a positive balance. Renato Costa Pinheiro entered incorrect data regarding the remittance of funds and made improper entries in the accounts, using commands such as Retroactive Electronic DOC to mask the irregularities.

According to an audit report issued by the Comptroller General of the Union on June 23, 2023, the total loss caused to Caixa Econômica Federal was estimated at R$ 9.091.976,57. In addition to Casa Lotérica Mútua, other companies such as Ferreira Dória Loteria Esportiva, América Loterias, Acertei Loteria Esportiva, Favorita Loteria Esportiva, and Sinal Verde Loteria Esportiva were also included in the process.

For the other parties involved in the process, including Casa Lotérica Mútua, all original penalties were maintained within the scope of External Control.

The TCU (Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts) offers two options for paying fines through the TCU Portal: the PagTesouro system, which accepts Pix (Brazil's instant payment system) or credit card, and the issuance of a Federal Revenue Collection Guide (GRU). Both alternatives are available in the "Service Charter" tab and in the "Debt Payment (PagTesouro/GRU Issuance)" link.

Procedural deadlines, including those for filing appeals, will be suspended during the TCU recess, between December 17, 2025 and January 16, 2026, according to article 39, § 3, of TCU Resolution No. 360, of October 25, 2023. This suspension does not apply to precautionary measures and proceedings related to TCU Normative Instruction 81/2018.

Detailed information regarding historical debt values ​​can be obtained from Seproc via email at [email protected] or by calling 0800-644-2300, option 2. To access the process, interested parties can use the “Conecta-TCU” platform, available on the TCU Portal.