São Paulo lawyers investigated for R$ 250 million cassiterite fraud involving Yanomami land
Federal Police is investigating two lawyers and a businessman suspected of selling irregular cassiterite from Yanomami Indigenous Land and sending sand instead of ore.
Federal Police probes illegal cassiterite scheme worth R$ 250 million in Yanomami Indigenous Land
The Federal Police is investigating the irregular sale of cassiterite extracted from Yanomami Indigenous Land in Roraima, in a scheme that allegedly caused losses of R$ 250 million to multinational company Gerald Group, based in London. According to reporting by sbtnews.sbt.com.br, the suspects allegedly sent sand instead of ore to the foreign buyer.
The suspects under investigation are lawyers Santiago Shunck and Guilherme Romão, from the Nelson Willians Law Firm, based in São Paulo, and businessman Diego Possebon. The trio allegedly concealed the fraudulent transaction by formally disguising it as the purchase of a sand shipment.
To guarantee early receipt of the R$ 250 million, the suspects allegedly resorted to intermediaries who, according to the investigation, were unaware of the illegal nature of the operation.
Cassiterite is an ore from which tin is extracted — an essential raw material in the manufacture of electronic components such as chips and video cards, which is why it is called "Black Gold".
A company linked to Gerald Group, MLS Berkowitz, went bankrupt after becoming involved in the transaction. Since then, the British company has filed civil lawsuits to hold those involved in the sale of ore disguised as sand accountable.
In a statement, lawyers Santiago Shunck and Guilherme Romão stated "that their conduct was absolutely regular" and claimed to "be unaware of any questioning related to the case." Gerald Group, in turn, categorically rejected "any suggestion that it may have participated in any form of false declaration or tampering with material or documentation with the aim of facilitating the export of cassiterite or any other mineral from Brazil."
MLS Berkowitz was notified by SBT News by email but did not respond by the time of publication. The São Paulo bar association and businessman Diego Possebon also made no statement.
Nelson Willians Law Firm faces investigations on multiple fronts. Although lawyer Nelson Willians is not directly linked to the mining case, he is the target of three recent operations: Operation No Discount, which investigates the misappropriation of funds from INSS retirees and pensioners; Operation Rescission, which investigates a scheme involving the commercialisation of irregular ICMS credits to São Paulo companies; and Operation Arena, aimed at combating money laundering and foreign currency evasion involving the betting house Pixbet. Willians denies having committed irregularities.
Source: Google News BR — Crime