TCU Awards Grand Medal of Merit to Eight Recipients This Year

On November 5, the Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) held a solemn session to award the Grand Medal of Merit. The distinction is the highest honor of the Court and pays tribute to individuals and personalities, domestic and foreign, that have stood out for their exceptional achievements or relevant contributions to government audit.

Now in its 21st edition, the award was presented to Antoninho Marmo Trevisan , accountant and educator; Camilo Daniel Benítez Aldana ; president of the Organization of Latin America and Caribbean Supreme Audit Institutions (OLACEFS) and comptroller general of Paraguay; Mariângela Hungria da Cunha researcher at Embrapa Soybean; Raimundo Carreiro Silva, minister of the TCU; Robson Braga de Andrade, former president of the Brazilian National Confederation of Industry (CNI); and the Globo Television Network, represented by João Roberto Marinho. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), and Pierre Moscovici, president of the French Supreme Audit Institution, were unable to attend the ceremony and will receive their commendations at future meetings.

Opening the session, President Vital do Rêgo highlighted the symbolism of the recognition in the 135-year history of the TCU: "On this day of celebration, we pay tribute to women and men who, in the eyes of this Court, represent important areas of national life," he said. The president recalled that the medal was created in 2003 and is granted every two years by the Grand Medal Council.

The speaker at the ceremony, Minister Antonio Anastasia underlined the Court's path since 1890 and the institution's commitment to the correct allocation of public resources and efficiency in spending. During his speech, he highlighted the TCU's tradition of valuing merit and ethics in public life. "The Federal Court of Accounts was created with the mission of ensuring probity and the good management of public resources. After 135 years, we continue to honor this purpose, recognizing those who, through their acts and values, elevate the Brazilian State," said Anastasia.

He emphasized the symbolic role of the Grand Medal. "Each honoree represents a commitment to the collective interest, the advancement of knowledge and the strengthening of institutions. This recognition is also a celebration of integrity and dedication to the public good," he noted.

On behalf of the awardees, Raimundo Carreiro thanked the distinction and highlighted the public character of the commendation. "This distinction is more than an honorary title. It is a motivation to fulfill our duties and a symbol of the values that uphold good governance: respect for public affairs and commitment to the common good," he said.

The Honorees

Camilo Daniel Benítez Aldana, a law graduate with honors from the National University of Asunción, is Comptroller General of the Republic of Paraguay and chairs the OLACEFS. He was recognized for promoting a true revolution in public transparency in his country by digitalizing asset declarations, creating accountability portals and bringing auditing closer to citizens. His leadership, which "led the transparency discourse into practice," transforming government audit into an instrument of active citizenship, was underlined by Minister Antonio Anastasia.

Antoninho Marmo Trevisan, founder and chairman of the Trevisan Business School, made accounting not only his profession, but his life's mission. A former executive at Price Waterhouse and head of the Department for the Oversight of State-Owned Companies of the Ministry of Planning, held relevant positions in public administration. His work extends to teaching, training managers and the defense of transparency as the basis of democracy. In his words, "without accounting, there is no democracy." This idea was underscored by Anastasia when defining Trevisan as someone who made accounting "an art at the service of truth and the common good".

Mariângela Hungria da Cunha, one of Brazil's most respected scientists, has been an agronomist and a researcher at Embrapa Soybean for over four decades. Her discoveries on biological nitrogen fixation transformed Brazilian agriculture, increasing productivity and sustainability on more than 40 million hectares. The first Brazilian to receive the World Food Prize, known as the "Nobel of Agriculture", Mariângela also inspires new generations of women researchers. According to Minister Anastasia, she "embodies the value of science guided by human values and the advancement of gender equality in research."

Raimundo Carreiro Silva, born in Maranhão, has dedicated his career to public service. A civil servant at the Federal Senate, where he became secretary-general of the Board. He joined TCU in 2007 and presided over the Court between 2017 and 2018, leaving a legacy of transparency, modernization and institutional dialogue. Currently serving as Brazil's ambassador to Portugal, he is recognized for his balance and dedication to the public cause. In his speech, he highlighted that "the Federal Court of Accounts has offered valuable contributions to the advance of public policies, which has allowed the improvement of the services provided to society."

Robson Braga de Andrade, a mechanical engineer and graduate at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, chaired the Brazilian National Confederation of Industry (CNI) and the Industry System (CNI, SESI, SENAI and IEL Services) for over a decade. Under his leadership, the industrial sector went through economic challenges and consolidated an agenda of integrity, innovation and professional education via SENAI and SESI. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he mobilized the Brazilian industry to ensure the supply of essential goods and reinforce the social role of Brazilian production. His "calm and firm leadership, which showed that ethics and efficiency are the two engines of sustainable development," was emphasized by Minister Anastasia.

With 100 years of history, the Globo Television Network (Globo Group) was represented at the ceremony by João Roberto Marinho, chairman of the group's Board of Directors. Minister Anastasia highlighted that Globo's work "puts communication at the service of democracy, education and development," with a decisive contribution to the strengthening of social participation in auditing and republican institutions.