Former PanAmericano CEO sues Silvio Santos
If he wins in court, Rafael Palladino could receive a hefty sum exceeding R$1 million from his former boss and 13 companies belonging to Abravanel's group; he accuses the owner of SBT of misleading the Federal Police in the investigation of the bank fraud.
Fernando Porfírio _247 – Former PanAmericano bank CEO Rafael Palladino wants to claim a large sum from his former boss Silvio Santos and 13 companies belonging to the group headed by Senor Abravanel. Palladino accuses the owner of SBT (a Brazilian television network) of misleading the Federal Police in the case investigating a R$ 4,3 million embezzlement at PanAmericano.
Palladino maintains that the deposits made in the name of legal entities controlled by him were, in fact, salaries and not funds embezzled from Panamericano. The former managing director of Panamericano valued the case at R$ 500, but if the Silvio Santos Group is convicted as requested by Palladino, the amount of compensation should exceed R$ 1 million.
Furthermore, Palladino is claiming moral damages, alleging that, due to Silvio Santos's actions, people believe him to be a "thief." According to the document, Palladino was subjected to moral lynching due to the media coverage of questions surrounding the inexplicable receipt of money by his companies, even though Silvio "knew there was nothing inexplicable."
Last year, Rafael Palladino was indicted by the Federal Police in the investigation into the R$ 4,3 billion fraud at Banco PanAmericano. Federal delegate Milton Fonrnazari Júnior, who led the investigation, criminally charged the former banker with money laundering, conspiracy, and violating four articles of Law 7492/86, which defines crimes against the financial system.
“I worked for 22 years in the Silvio Santos group, my conduct was always impeccable. There was never anything that would discredit me,” Palladino stated when responding to questions about irregularities at the bank. The former director of PanAmericano said he was the victim of “a public lynching” and that he always performed “serious, honest work” during his time at the Silvio Santos group.
“As a director of Banco PanAmericano and companies in the Silvio Santos Group, the plaintiff submitted himself – at the behest of Senor Abravanel – to a hiring model based on 'outsourcing' and absolute disregard for labor laws,” Palladino states when requesting the inclusion of Silvio Santos in the labor lawsuit.
Palladino's defense justified including Silvio Santos in the labor lawsuit by arguing that his former boss is "the first and last authority in the Silvio Santos Group, despite using his employees as veritable shields for his business dealings."
Palladino accuses Silvio Santos of misleading the police authorities, "preferring that his executives unjustly suffer unprecedented humiliation, rather than confess that all the money these executives received (like the plaintiff) was 'salary', paid 'off the books', through legal entities, with the sole purpose of him, [Silvio] Abravanel, saving on labor costs."