Odebrecht and irregularities in the new airport works of goiâni

The Brazilian construction company Odebrecht took over the construction work for Goiânia’s Santa Genoveva Airport in 2003, through a consortium with Via Engenharia. The airport was only opened in 2016, however, after several stoppages due to irregularities uncovered by the Federal Audit Court (TCU) and the Federal Public Ministry in Goiás (MPF/GO). Given Odebrecht’s involvement in the 26th and 35th phases of Operation Lava Jato, the vast, wideranging anti-corruption investigation in Brazil, the intent of this article is to provide evidence of corruption by identifying the mechanisms used by the Consortium to overprice the work. We opted for descriptive and documentary research, using data analysis, public files, and legal documents including official reports from the bodies involved in the investigations. The theoretical foundation of this study is based on the works of authors who conceptualize, approach and analyze corruption in public works, with an emphasis on State Capture theory, a situation in which powerful individuals, institutions, companies or groups use corruption to shape a nation’s policies, legal environment and economy. Our analysis found that corruption played a relevant role in the construction delays on the airport project in Goiânia, which generated damage to society and public coffers.