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List of scandals in Brazil

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This is a list of scandals in Brazil.

Before 1950

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1960s

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Historians believe that construction of the planned capital city of Brasilia was systematically overpriced when built in the early 1960s under Juscelino Kubitschek presidency.[2]

Military era (1964-1985)

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See also: Military dictatorship in Brazil

Little to no evidence of corruption was made public during the military dictatorship era (1964–1985). Recently, however, several cases have become increasingly public knowledge and have been reviewed in books including the journalist Elio Gaspari's series of historical analyses[3][page needed] and in the news.[4][5] Cases ranged from smuggling whiskey and luxury clothes to outright extortion of companies by military-appointed governors (e.g., Haroldo Leon Peres [pt] in Paraná), who illegally favored their companies in contractor licensing (e.g. Antonio Carlos Magalhães and Magnesita) and used public money to save their own companies from bankruptcy (e.g., Paulo Maluf and his wife Sylvia Lutfalla Maluf [pt] in the Lutfalla case [pt]). British documents pointed out a number of other cases which were suppressed in the 1970s referring to overpriced purchase of UK equipment for construction of ships in Brazil.[6]

1980s

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See also: 1980s in Brazil
  • INAMPS scandal [pt] (1980s) – political and financial scandal that emerged in Brazil in the 1980s and involved allegations of corruption and embezzlement at the National Institute of Social Security for Civil Servants (INAMPS).[7]
  • El Maracanazo (1989) – a faked injury at a football match between Brazil and Chile which resulted in Chile being banned from the 1994 World Cup

1990s

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See also: 1990s in Brazil

2000s

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See also: 2000s in Brazil
  • Furnas List [pt] (2000–2002) – a corruption and money laundering scheme during the 2000s that involved the director of the state-owned electric utility in Rio de Janeiro giving illegal campaign funds to politicians, magistrates and businessmen in the 2002 election.[13]
  • Odebrecht Case (2001– ) international bribery case by a Brazilian construction company which was also embroiled in the Car Wash scandal. Forced the president of Peru to resign[14][15]
  • Celso Daniel affair [pt] (2002) – murder of PT member Celso Daniel and coverup involving buying the silence of witnesses[16][17][17]
  • Propinoduct scandal [pt] (2002) – a political corruption scandal in the 1990s in RJ state government of Anthony Garotinho, involving allegations of widespread bribery and corruption in the Brazilian government and public sector
  • BANCOOP case (2002, 2004) - Allegations of money-laundering, invoice padding, Workers'Party slush fund.[18]
  • Operation Plague of Egypt [pt] (2003) - Also known as "scandal of locusts" and "grasshopper scandal"; embezzlement that caused the resignation of former governor Neudo Ribeiro Campos from the federal Chamber of Deputies.[19]
  • Escândalo dos bingos [pt] (2004)
  • Brazilian Post Office scandal [pt] (2005) - bid-rigging at Correios.[20]
  • Mensalão scandal (2005) – parliamentary vote-buying scandal by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's administration[21]
  • IRB scandal [pt] (2005) – illegal monthly payments by the Brazilian Insurance and Reinsurance Institute (IRB) to Brazilian federal deputy in exchange for political favors
  • Whistle scandal (2005) - Betting on rigged football matches.[22]
  • Operation Gabiru [pt] (2005) - Mayor of Rio Largo José Rafael Torres Barros and employees of nine other Alagoas municipalities skimmed 150 million reis from school lunch funds[23][24]
  • Ambulances scandal [pt] (2006) – financial scandal involving a gang embezzling public money intended for the purchase of ambulances.[16] Known in Portuguese as the Escândalo dos sanguessugas (scandal of the bloodsucking leeches)
  • Vampires scandal (2006) – overcharging for blood supplies[16]
  • Dossier scandal [pt] (2006) – corruption in the Ministry of Health during the Fernando Henrique Cardoso government, involving the PT electoral campaign arranging to buy a dossier that would implicate the PSDB candidate for governor of São Paulo, José Serra
  • Renangate [pt] (2007) -Alagoas senator Renan Calheiros (PMDB-AL) implicated in taking money from lobbyists.
  • Paulo Maluf (March 9, 2007) - Manhattan's District Attorney office issued an [25] indictment against Maluf for money laundering in a kickback and inflated invoice scheme that allegedly stole $11.6m from a Brazilian road contract project totaling $140 million. From November 1997 to May 1999 the money passed through an account at Safra National Bank of New York secretly controlled by Maluf. A New York judge on April 25, 2012, dismissed a petition to toss the indictment.[26] The same judge also refused to lift their March 2010 Red notice at Interpol.[27]
  • Airline ticket scandal [pt] (2009) – Every parliamentarian in the National Congress has an air travel budget to return to their constituencies. Some of them used the benefit to trips abroad or trips of friends and relatives.[28]

2010s

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See also: 2010s in Brazil
  • BTG Pactual (2012) - penalties for André Esteves' insider trading "force[d] the bank to amend its prospectus, give investors the option to reconsidering bids for BTG shares, and put a cloud over one of this year's highest-profile bank deals."[29]
  • CPMI do Cachoeira [pt] (2012) - Joint parliamentary inquiry into politicians and organized crime involved in illegal gambling. Allegedly shut down when Workers' Party money-laundering scheme was uncovered.[30][31][32][33]
  • Petrobras refinery purchase in Pasadena (2014) - $1.2 billion purchase of an oil refinery in Pasadena, Texas resulting in $580 million loss for Petrobras. Judge Vital do Rego found indications of "intentional mismanagement to cover up irregularities."[34][35] UTC Engenharia [pt] and Odebrecht took over work on the Pasadena refinery, which cost between US$ 1 and 2 billion.[36]
  • Sabesp (2014) - allegations of failures in the São Paulo's water supply irregularities in the contract between Sabesp and the City of São Paulo.[37]
  • Mariana dam disaster (2015) – catastrophic failure of a dam at an iron ore mine on the Doce River in Minas Gerais that released 43.7 million cubic metres of mine tailings into the River, flooding two villages, killing 19 people, and causing a toxic mudflow which created a humanitarian crisis in cities along the river, and reached the Atlantic.[38]
  • Blackmail of Marcela Temer [pt] (2016) - Marcela Temer, First Lady of Brazil, blackmailed after her phone was cloned.[39][40]
  • Porto Maravilha - Trump Olympic Real estate deal in Rio de Janeiro[41]
  • Operation Veiculação [pt] (2016) - bid fraud involving contracts for vehicle leasing in several Paraiba municipalities[42]
  • Operation Sea of Mud [pt] (2016) - Embezzlement, bid fraud and corruption in Minas Gerais, including 1 billion reais from emergency relief funds intended for Governador Valadares.
  • Port Inquiry (2018) - bribery scandal involving Michel Temer and contracts at the Port of Santos.[43]
  • 2018: Petrobras oil trader bribery:[44]
  • Operation Car Wash (2014 – 2022) a criminal investigation originally involving money-laundering at the state-owned oil company Petrobras and bribery of government officials, including politicians, senators, governors, and businessmen, which expanded to numerous other companies (notably Odebrecht) and a dozen foreign countries. Considered the largest corruption investigation in the country's history.[45]
  • Sete Brasil [pt] offshore drilling tenders from Petrobras. Bid-rigging and massive losses for investors, including several pension funds, offshore account for João Santana [pt].[47]
  • 2016 Summer Olympics ticket scandal (2016) – attempted illegal resale of hundreds of tickets for the 2016 Summer Olympics
  • Rio Olympics (2017) - Sergio Cabral and others in a bribery scandal centered on choosing Rio de Janeiro as an Olympic venue.[48]
  • Lochtegate (2016) – scandal involving U.S. Olympic swim team members who falsely reported a crime while at the Rio Olympics in 2016
  • Panama Papers (2016) – published leaked documents that revealed thousands of companies participating in tax fraud and evasion
  • Paradise Papers (2017) – leaked documents relating to offshore investments implicating people in dozens of countries
  • Fernando Collor de Mello (August 2017) Collor was accused by Brazil's Supreme Federal Court of receiving around US$9 million in bribes between 2010 and 2014 from Petrobras subsidiary BR Distributor.
  • JBS S.A. (2017) – "...during its rapid rise to become the world’s biggest meatpacker, JBS and its network of subsidiaries have been linked to allegations of high-level corruption, modern-day “slave labour” practices, illegal deforestation, animal welfare violations and major hygiene breaches."[49][50]
  • Operation Weak Meat - US FDA uncovers bribery of Brazilian meat inspectors [51][52]
  • Moro x Bolsonaro Case (2019) – statements made by former minister Sérgio Moro about President Jair Bolsonaro's alleged attempt to interfere in investigations related to his family members and the Federal Police
  • Brumadinho dam disaster (2019) - 270 people died after a catastrophic failure. Public Prosecutor's Office complaint pointed to a collusion between owner Vale and certification company Tüv Süd led to the issuance of false declarations of dam stability. Sixteen employees and the two companies were formally charged by 270 homicides and environmental crimes.[53]
  • Amazon clandestine aerodromes (2019) - to provide transport to far communities, pilots prepare false flight plans, as most aerodromes that serve indigenous communities in the Amazon are unregistered because they do not meet safety standards.[54]
  • Medical equipment over billing[55]
  • Bolsonaro son money-laundering:[56]

2020s

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See also

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Works cited

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  • Abreu, Fellipe; Silva, Luiz Felipe (14 October 2015). "How Illegal Diamond Mining Threatens Brazil's Indigenous Communities". InSight Crime. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  • Campos, Pedro Henrique Pereira (2014). Estranhas Catedrais. As Empreiteiras Brasileiras e a Ditadura Civil-Militar. 1964–1988 [Strange Cathedrals. Brazilian Contractors and the Civil-Military Dictatorship. 1964-1988] (in Portuguese). Niterói: Eduff. ISBN 978-8522809844.

References

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  1. ^ Hemming 1990.
  2. ^ Kelly 2020.
  3. ^ Campos 2014.
  4. ^ Freire 2015.
  5. ^ Pragmatismo 2018.
  6. ^ Buarque 2018.
  7. ^ Folha SP 1989, p. D-1.
  8. ^ Ferreira & Uol.
  9. ^ Carandiru and the scandal of Brazil’s medieval prison system Amnesty International, April 15, 2013, retrieved February 14 2023
  10. ^ [url=http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/1013558-justica-condena-pastor-por-dossie-contra-psdb-em-98.shtml Justiça condena pastor por dossiê contra PSDB em 98] (Justice sentences pastor for dossier against PSDB in 98), José Ernesto Credencio, Folha, 29 November 2011
  11. ^ Agência Brasil (6 February 2020). "Prefeitura de São Paulo recebe R$ 34,9 milhões desviados por Maluf" [São Paulo City Hall receives R$ 34.9 million embezzled by Maluf].
  12. ^ Abreu & Silva 2015.
  13. ^ Peixoto 2012.
  14. ^ Peru’s Interoceanic: the Most Corrupt Highway in the World, Upper Amazon Conservancy, July 2018, retrieved February 14, 2023
  15. ^ Corruption Scandals With Brazilian Roots Cascade Across Latin America, Nicholas Casey and Andrea Zarate, New York Times, February 13, 2017, retrieved February 14, 2023
  16. ^ a b c Bourne 2008, p. 182.
  17. ^ a b Dickerson & Johnson 2016.
  18. ^ Diniz, Laura (28 October 2010). "Justiça aceita denúncia contra João Vaccari Neto". Veja.com. Archived from the original on 4 April 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  19. ^ Departamento de Polícia Federal. "Resumo das Operações". DPF 2003/2004. Dpf.gov.br. Retrieved 8 July 2008.
  20. ^ "Jairo Martins: espião ou "jornalista investigativo"?" [Jairo Martins: Spy or "investigative journalist"?]. 24 May 2012.
  21. ^ Brazil in crisis over corruption claims: Allegations of payments to allies sour achievements of leftwing government and threaten future of President Lula, Gibby Zobel, The Guardian, 10 July 2005, retrieved February 14, 2023
  22. ^ "Corrupção no Futebol - Veja a cronologia do escândalo da arbitragem". Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  23. ^ "Gabiru: MPF obtains condemnation of mayors who diverted resources from school lunches", Agreste Tribune, November 29, 2012. Accessed on June 15, 2015
  24. ^ Operação Gabiru: TRF aceita denúncia contra prefeitos (Operation Gabiru: TRF accepts complaint against mayors). Alagoas 24 Horas. 21 May 2008. Accessed 24 February 2023
  25. ^ www.nytimes.com
  26. ^ Karen Freifeld (Reuters), "New York judge refuses to dismiss Brazilian kickback case".Chicago Tribune, April 25, 2012, [1]. Retrieved April 29, 2012
  27. ^ Maluf's red notice is available on [2] Archived 2012-06-20 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed July 28, 2012
  28. ^ O Estado de S.Paulo. "Comissão da Câmara vai investigar cota de passagens áereas" [Chamber of Deputies committee will investigate airline ticket quota]. Archived from the original on 13 November 2009.
  29. ^ Silvia Aloisi, Steve Slater (16 April 2012). "Insider trading fine casts cloud over BTG Pactual IPO". Reuters. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  30. ^ Reinaldo Azevedo (15 March 2016). "Delcídio confirma: governo enterrou CPI que ele mesmo criou para aniquilar oposição" (in Portuguese). VEJA. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  31. ^ Juliana Castro (15 March 2016). "Delcídio: governistas deram fim a CPI do Cachoeira quando perceberam 'risco'". O Globo. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  32. ^ "Governo atuou para pôr fim à CPI do Cachoeira, diz Delcídio" (in Portuguese). VEJA. 15 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  33. ^ Juliana Castro (15 March 2016). "Delcídio: governistas deram fim à CPI do Cachoeira quando perceberam 'risco'" (in Portuguese). Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  34. ^ Brazil president under fire for Petrobras Texas refinery deal, Anthony Boadle, Reuters, March 25, 2014, retrieved February 14, 2023
  35. ^ Assets of ex-Brazilian president frozen over Pasadena refinery deal, Houston Chronicle, Associated Press October 22, 2017
  36. ^ "Obra de até US$ 2 bi em Pasadena ficaria com UTC e Odebrecht, diz Costa". O Globo. 23 January 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  37. ^ "Câmara aprova CPI para investigar se Sabesp cumpre contrato em SP". G1. 6 August 2014.
  38. ^ Dias Carneiro 2016.
  39. ^ "Hacker que clonou celular de Marcela Temer é condenado a 5 anos de prisão" [Hacker who cloned Marcela Temer's cell phone sentenced to give years in prison] (in Brazilian Portuguese). G1 São Paulo. 26 October 2016. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  40. ^ "Hacker condenado por chantagear primeira-dama disse ter áudio que jogaria nome de Temer 'na lama'" [Hacker convicted of blackmailing the first lady said he had audio that would throw Temer's name 'in the mud'] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Jornal Hoje. 11 February 2017. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  41. ^ "Brazil prosecutor says Trump franchise may have benefited from corruption". Reuters. 28 October 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  42. ^ "Mãe do deputado Hugo Motta é presa pela PF. Avó, prefeita de Patos-PB, é afastada". Brasil 247. 9 September 2016.
  43. ^ Fortuna', 'Deborah (30 March 0306). "Prisão de amigos de Temer joga luz sobre suposto esquema do Porto de Santos". Acervo (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  44. ^ "World's biggest oil traders paid bribes in Brazil scandal -prosecutors". Reuters. 5 December 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  45. ^ Brazil’s Corruption Fallout: Federal investigators in Brazil have uncovered corruption at the highest levels of the government and in the country’s largest corporations, Claire Klobucista and Rocio Cara Labrador, Council on Foreign Relations, November 7, 2018
  46. ^ "PF já apreendeu R$ 2 milhões na Operação Patmos" [PF has already seized BRL 2 million in Operation Patmos]. Isto É. 18 May 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  47. ^ Alana Rizo. "Lava Jato descobre que a estatal Sete Brasil foi criada para ajudar na corrupção". Época. Globo.com.
  48. ^ Rio Olympics: Ex-governor says he paid $2m bribe, BBC, 5 July 2019
  49. ^ JBS: The Brazilian butchers who took over the world, Andrew Wasley, Alexandra Heal, Lucy Michaels, Dom Phillips, André Campos, Diego Junqueira, Claire Smyth, Rory Winters; Bureau of Investigative Journalism, 02.07.19
  50. ^ Brazil’s Batista Brothers Are Out of Jail And Worth $6 Billion Felipe Marques and James Attwood, Bloomberg, July 15, 2021, retrieved February 14, 2023
  51. ^ More fraud in Brazil food industry; labs falsified pathogen tests, Catharine Huddle, Food Safety News, March 8, 2018, retrieved February 14, 2023
  52. ^ U.S. audit finds food safety problems continue for Brazil’s meat, Dan Flynn, Food Safety News, November 16, 2017, accessed February 14, 2023
  53. ^ Rodrigues 2023.
  54. ^ A scandal in the Amazon - where pilots are forced to lie, Tim Whewell and Jéssica Cruz, BBC World Service, Brazil 18 March 2019, retrieved February 14,2023
  55. ^ Exclusive: FBI targets Johnson & Johnson, Siemens, GE, Philips in Brazil graft case - sources Brad Brooks, Reuters, May 17, 2019
  56. ^ Brazil's Bolsonaro defends son against deepening graft probe, Pedro Fonseca, Ricardo Brito, Reuters, December 20, 2019
  57. ^ McCoy 2021.
  58. ^ Brazil's scandal-plagued President may face a reckoning as lawmakers consider impeachment, Samantha Beech, Rodrigo Pedroso and Juliana Koch, CNN, July 21, 2021, accessed February 14, 2023
  59. ^ Davis, Diane E.; Hilgers, Tina (21 December 2022). "The Pandemic and Organized Crime in Urban Latin America: New Sovereignty Arrangements or Business as Usual?". Journal of Illicit Economies and Development. 4 (3): 241–256. doi:10.31389/jied.134.
  60. ^ Raphael Tsavkko Garcia (23 August 2022). "Brazil's never ending war on the poor". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 14 February 2023. They know that if a police officer happens to approach them – regardless of what they may or may not have done – they could be threatened, beaten up, jailed, killed or simply "disappeared".
  61. ^ "A Deadly Police Raid in Rio Show How Bolsonaro's Policies Are Wreaking Havoc in Brazil". Time. 8 May 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  62. ^ "SEC.gov | SEC Charges Honeywell with Bribery Schemes in Algeria and Brazil". www.sec.gov. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  63. ^ "Digging into Honeywell UOP's Bribery Schemes in Brazil and Algeria (Part II of III)". JD Supra. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  64. ^ Americanas Scandal Pits Brazil’s Billionaires Against Each Other, Cristiane Lucchesi, Bloomberg News, January 17, 2023, retrieved February 24, 2023
  65. ^ Harris, Bryan (5 February 2023). "How the $3.9bn Americanas scandal has shaken corporate Brazil". Financial Times. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  66. ^ Boadle 2023.
  67. ^ Richter 2023.
  68. ^ Brazil orders police probe into Bolsonaro jewellery scandal: A news outlet reported that jewels worth more than $3m were discovered in the backpack of a former aide in October 2021
  69. ^ A scandal in Brazil involves an ex-president, jewels and the Saudi government, Carrie Kahn, Morning Edition, NPR], March 9, 2023
  70. ^ "Brazilian police bust 'Wolf of Wall Street' crime ring in Lisbon". Reuters. 7 March 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  71. ^ "Brazil's soccer match-fixing scandal has international reach, investigator says". AP News. 16 May 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  72. ^ Pooler, Michael (8 June 2023). "Betting scandal deals blow to Brazilian football's development". Financial Times. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  73. ^ Nicas, Jack (8 February 2024). "Bolsonaro and Allies Planned a Coup, Brazil Police Say". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
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