Brazilian Federal Police Probe Corruption and Environmental Favoritism Involving Former Rio Governor

The Brazilian Federal Police (PF) have released reports detailing a suspected criminal organization within the Rio de Janeiro state government that allegedly favored the Refit refinery and its owner, Ricardo Magro. The investigation, part of Operation Sem Refino, focuses on the relationship between former Governor Cláudio Castro and Magro, who is currently a fugitive. The PF reports that Castro maintained a direct and privileged channel with the refinery's representatives to facilitate administrative requests and monitor strategic demands. Evidence includes messages from 2020 and 2025 where Castro referred to Magro as a friend and offered to personally handle the refinery's fiscal regularization within the state.

Investigators also highlight a pattern of environmental favoritism. Messages show that Bernardo Rossi, the former state Secretary of the Environment, and Renato Bussière, the former president of the state environmental agency Inea, worked to ensure the renewal of Refit's environmental license despite technical reports citing irregularities. In one exchange, Rossi told Bussière to "run over Ibama," the federal environmental agency, when it complicated the process. The PF alleges that this group operated a criminal organization to serve private interests and may have also favored the Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional (CSN). Following the license renewal, four servers who had issued a contrary opinion were exonerated.

Financial investigations into Castro describe luxury spending allegedly funded by third parties. The PF reports a 10,500 reais caviar order paid by an associate and a 249,000 reais wine cellar built in a property in Petrópolis. The police also question the rental price of a penthouse in Barra da Tijuca, noting that the contract value was significantly lower than market rates. Castro's defense has denied any participation in money laundering or the receipt of undue advantages, stating that all described expenses were regular.