Monday, January 8, 2024

Batista brothers have $2.1 billion fine suspended


 

A Supreme Court justice in Brazil suspended a $2.1 billion fine imposed on J&F, the controlling entity of JBS, the world's largest meatpacker, according to a Reuters report. The court has not made the decision public.


J&F is controlled by Joesley and Wesley Batista and through it they were in control of JBS S.A.


They were fined because they confessed they had bribed hundreds of politicians and officials to obtain loans to buy companies that make up the JBS holdings.


J&F initially agreed to pay the substantial fine in 2017 as part of a leniency agreement related to its involvement in corruption scandals. 


The defense argued that prosecutors displayed bias and engaged in what they deemed as "clearly persecutory actions," leading them to request the court's intervention to suspend the fine.