Claudio Castro is the target of searches for the 2nd time in an operation on suspicions of Refit

The action is the second phase of Operation Without Refining, and raises suspicions about the actions of Rio's Secretariat for the Environment and Sustainability in granting licenses for Refit's activities contrary to technical guidelines.

Authorization of the warrants is from Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the STF (Supreme Federal Court). In a statement, Castro's defense says that he has no participation in irregularities involving Refit.

"The defense is still unaware of the full content of the complaint and the elements that supported the operation and is waiting for the lawyers to have access to the files to comment in more detail", says the note.

"All acts carried out during his administration followed technical, legal and administrative criteria set out in legislation."

"The Cláudio Castro administration was, in fact, the only one to get the Manguinhos Refinery to pay its debts to the State of Rio de Janeiro, in an amount close to R$ 1 billion", says the former governor's defense. "In addition, the State Attorney General's Office filed several actions against the company throughout the administration, demonstrating that the state acted to collect the amounts owed and defend the public interest."

The PF states that it investigates suspicions of fraudulent and reckless management, money laundering, tax evasion, currency evasion, market manipulation and also crimes against the economic order involving the sale of fuels.

"The action aims to investigate fraud in the granting of environmental licenses for the refinery, in violation of the guidelines of the competent technical bodies, in addition to money laundering linked to the criminal scheme", says the agency.

In addition to Castro, former secretaries Bernardo Rossi (Environment), candidate for federal deputy for União Brasil, and José Mauro Júnior, former secretary of Digital Transformation, are also targets of the operation. The report tries to locate his defenses.

Also targeted is Antônio Carlos Santos, known as Pipo, a lawyer allied with Castro who was an advisor to Domingos Brazão -convicted of being the mastermind behind the murder of Marielle Franco- and is accused of invading public land in an area of influence of militiamen in the west zone of the capital of Rio de Janeiro. His defense was also not located.

In May, in the first phase of the operation, Moraes also ordered a search against Castro and ordered the arrest of Ricardo Magro, owner of Refit. As the businessman lives abroad, the minister ordered the inclusion of his name on Interpol's red list. He is currently considered a fugitive.

At the time, he ordered the blocking of approximately R$52 billion in financial assets, in addition to the suspension of the activities of the companies under investigation.

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