The United States should present Brazil with a formal proposal for cooperation aimed at combating organized crime, said this Thursday (4) the Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad. According to him, The acting US ambassador, Gabriel Escobar, demonstrated a strong willingness to advance the coordination and respond to the Brazilian government’s request for a direct channel between the two countries to track rifle parts.
“We will inform a competent authority there that will take care of Brazilian affairs to find out who exported, why they exported, to whom they exported, if there was participation by the exporter, if there was an operation inside the port to place the parts inside the container”, declared the minister after meeting this afternoon with Escobar.
Haddad highlighted that 55 investment funds are the target of investigations on suspicion of financing criminal activities within the scope of Operation Poço de Lobato, of which 40 operate in Brazil and 15 abroad. The minister highlighted that investigations revealed that Rifle parts sent from the United States to the country end up in the hands of factions.
According to the minister, investigations show that Criminal organizations transfer resources between different countries to hide assets and circumvent the tax authorities. The Refit group, owner of the former Manguinhos refinery, in Rio de Janeiro, appears to be the main target of the investigations. On Tuesday (2), Haddad had reported in an interview with TV Globo that part of the cargo leaving the United States arrives in Brazil without going through procedures considered essential, such as scanning containers.
According to Haddad, the meeting was requested by the North American embassy itself, after sending a letter from the Brazilian government resulting from the connection between presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Donald Trump. The minister stated that Escobar was committed to presenting a response to the Brazilian government and demonstrated optimism with the proposal.
Haddad also said that the ambassador mentioned direct guidance from Trump to deepen dialogue with Brazil. Escobar left the Ministry of Finance without speaking to the press.
Cooperation proposal
Haddad declared that he intends to establish a “quick” communication channel between the two countries so that North American authorities are notified immediately when a container from the United States arrives in Brazil with rifle components.
The minister explained that The intention is for the US to be able to identify the origin and destination of cargo, verify who sent the material and investigate any irregularities occurring at ports of shipment..
Haddad also stated that current international agreements allow loopholes used by criminals and reinforced that Escobar demonstrated receptivity to the idea of expanding bilateral cooperation in combating organized crime.
Sharing investigations
The minister said he had shared details of Brazilian investigations into funds registered in the United States and informed that the documentation will be sent to the authorities in that country, in order to avoid future legal questions.
During the meeting, Haddad highlighted to the ambassador the joint work of the Federal Police, Federal Revenue, Financial Activities Control Council (Coaf) and state public ministries, and defended North American participation in this integration to increase effectiveness in combating money laundering and identifying criminal organizations.
Escobar presented examples of cooperation already underway between the United States and Mexico, but Haddad considered that the Brazilian reality differs from the Mexican one. The minister argued for the adoption of terms adjusted to the current context in Brazil. Haddad reported that the ambassador had the letter sent by the Brazilian government in hand and stated that he left the meeting with the impression that the US would speed up the analysis of the proposal.
