Brazil’s public ministry, MPF, a body of public prosecutors, has denounced in a lawsuit several former and existing Gerdau executives for the crimes of passive and active corruption as well as money laundering.
The lawsuit, which also accuses 11 lawyers as well as former advisors of the country’s board of tax appeals (Carf), is part of the Zelotes operation, which has been investigating a corruption scheme involving Carf since 2015. Since then, Gerdau has denied any wrongdoing.
MPF said Gerdau paid BRL 40 million in bribes for Carf’s former advisor, José Ricardo Silva, in exchange for the annulment of the company’s debt. Gerdau reportedly has some BRL 4 billion in tax debts with Carf.
The former Gerdau executives supposedly involved in the corruption scandal who were denounced by MPF include Expedito Luz, former legal director; Marco Antonio Biondo Pereira Mattos, former legal consultant; and Raul Fernando Schneider, former accountability consultant.