The Federal Police (PF), in a joint operation with the National Mining Agency (ANM), arrested a businessman in Rio de Janeiro who forged the Kimberly diamond certificate. Occurred yesterday (18), the operation was only disclosed today (19) by the corporation.
Kimberly certifies the origin of the stones and aims to prevent the purchase and sale of so-called blood diamonds, which are those mined in conflict areas, during civil wars and with human rights abuse.
The ANM informed that the company had authorization only for research, but not for exploring the region indicated in the certificate. The agency’s technicians were suspicious of the stone extraction site, which does not have the necessary geological conditions or those mapped for the occurrence of diamonds.
According to the Federal Police, the three stones seized will undergo technical expertise to confirm whether they are really diamonds. The businessman will answer for the crime of usurpation of assets of the Union, which has penalties of one to five years in prison.
