Court convicts duty-free shop gang
A customs official in Guarulhos was receiving imported goods from Dufry in exchange for laxer inspections.
Fernando Porfírio_247 – The Federal Court of Guarulhos (SP) convicted seven people accused of being part of a gang that operated at Guarulhos International Airport. The group consisted of a Federal Revenue Service inspector, four employees of the terminal's duty-free shop – operated by Dufry do Brasil – and two other people. All were investigated by the Federal Police during Operation Minotauro, launched in 2007.
The tax inspector received imported goods from Dufry as a bribe and passed them on to his ex-wife and her cousin to sell the products without issuing invoices.
In exchange, the tax inspector would provide his personal password and login for the Federal Revenue Service's computerized system so that Dufry employees could manipulate tax inspection information for the company's benefit and improperly release products subject to taxation.
The inspector worked at the airport customs office as head of the duty-free shop inspection team. One of his duties was precisely to oversee the entry, storage, and exit of imported goods from the bonded warehouse of the company Dufry do Brasil.
The defendants were convicted of the crimes of forming a criminal organization, embezzlement (appropriation of goods or money by a public official due to their position), smuggling (introduction of goods into the country without payment of taxes), passive and active corruption, and violation of professional secrecy.
The court sentenced the tax inspector to 20 years and 8 months in prison, a fine of 220 days' wages, and the loss of his position. Each of the four Dufry employees was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
The ex-wife of the tax inspector and her cousin had their sentences set at 12 and 10 years in prison, respectively. The defendants may appeal the sentence while remaining free.