Two former leaders of BRF have been referred by Brazilian police to federal prosecutors in relation to the Operation Weak Flesh scandal of 2017.
According to Reuters, former BRF Chairman Abilo Diniz and former BRF CEO Pedro de Andrade Faria did not disclose damaging information in relation to the scandal while they were with the Brazilian meat and poultry company. BRF was one of several Brazilian companies accused of fraud and the sale of meat unfit for human consumption, but the company defended itself and has stated it was not guilty of the things that were alleged.
According to documents obtained by Reuters, police have since collected a series of WhatsApp messages and emails exchanged between the two former executives.
After the two men were referred by Brazilian police, prosecutors must decide among three options: whether to file a complaint based on those findings, to ask for an additional investigation, or to dismiss the information.
Forty-one other people face allegations in the Operation Weak Flesh investigation.
Faria had been global CEO of BRF since his appointment in 2014, but the company announced his intent to step down in September 2017.
He, along with others, was temporarily taken into custody in March in relation to Operation Weak Flesh.
Diniz currently serves as board member at Carrefour SA. Pedro Parente is BRF’s current chairman.
BRF responds
In a notice to the market on the BRF website, the company stated that it has decided to preventively grant a leave to all employees referred in the federal police’s final report until all facts are clarified.
BRF further stated that it is engaging in a vast and transparent dialogue with the authorities in charge of the investigations, with the intention to “cooperate with the elucidation of the facts.”
BRF is the third largest broiler company in the world, trailing only JBS and Tyson Foods.
