Operation by the Public Prosecutor's Office and the State Finance Department arrests tax evaders in Maceió.

Alagoas 247 - An operation against those accused of tax evasion was launched in the early hours of Tuesday morning (26), in Maceió, where one of the targets is the Griffe do Frango meat shop, located in the Poço neighborhood. In total, more than R$ 150 million were diverted, as pointed out by the State Public Ministry (MPE). The owners and the manager of the establishment were arrested. 

According to information passed on to Gazette TVEarly this Tuesday, teams from the Public Prosecutor's Office, the State Finance Secretariat (Sefaz), the State Attorney General's Office (PGE), and the Civil Police (PC) and Military Police (PM) met to execute 30 court orders for preventive detention, coercive measures, and search and seizure, issued by the 17th Criminal Court of the Capital. 

Operation Polhastro is led by the Special Action Group to Combat Tax Evasion and Crimes Against the Tax, Economic and Related Order (Gaesf) of the Public Prosecutor's Office. Public Prosecutor Cyro Blatter and police investigator Felipe Caldas are in charge of the investigations, which have revealed a shortfall of R$ 150 million. 

Plainclothes officers and unmarked cars gathered in front of a butcher shop in the Poço neighborhood. There was a lot of activity at the location. The manager was taken in early in the morning to open the shop's office, where documents are being searched. Meanwhile, at the suspect's residence in Farol, a .38 caliber revolver, 762 rifle ammunition, 12-gauge shotgun shells, and .45 caliber ammunition were found.

INVESTIGATIONS

Reports indicate that several businesses opened in the names of deceased individuals, aiming to embezzle millions in taxes. The accused were taken to the Gaesf headquarters, located near Praça da Cadeia, in downtown Maceió. The owners and manager of the establishment were arrested. 

The Public Prosecutor's Office points to the existence of a criminal organization specialized in defrauding public and private documents, acting in the crimes of tax evasion, money laundering, and falsification of documents.

According to information from the MP's press office, the investigation lasted four months, pointing to the participation of 20 companies and 45 people in the scheme.

"We have already discovered, among other things, that some of the true owners of the companies used front men and straw men to try to mislead the Public Prosecutor's Office, the police, and the tax authorities. What the suspects didn't count on was that our investigative method would be able to reach them," said Cyro Blatter.

The Griffe do Frango establishment is the main target of Operation Polhastro, since its owner is accused of having caused most of this fraud, which resulted in millions of dollars in losses to the State Treasury.  

In total, six preventive arrest warrants, 16 coercive detention warrants, and eight search and seizure warrants were executed. These warrants targeted the main company involved in the scheme, the 19 shell companies, their partners, and those responsible for the tax fraud. The panel also ordered the freezing of assets belonging to those involved. 

POLHASTRO

Polhastro, the Spanish name given to the operation, alludes to someone who is considered 'clever', who tries to take advantage of someone or something, and also means big chicken.

More information will be provided to the press at a press conference to be held at 16 pm at the Public Prosecutor's Office headquarters in the Poço neighborhood.

With gazetaweb.com