Swissleaks ensnares media barons and journalists.
Among the individuals who maintain or have maintained numbered accounts at HSBC in Switzerland are names such as Otávio Frias, founder of Folha de S. Paulo; Johnny Saad, owner of the Bandeirantes group; Lily Marinho, widow of Roberto Marinho of Globo; José Roberto Guzzo, columnist and member of the editorial board of Abril; Ratinho, presenter on SBT; and Mona Dorf, a journalist who works at Jovem Pan alongside Reinaldo Azevedo; all claim they did not commit any irregularities. The presence of media barons on the list also reveals the selectivity of journalist Fernando Rodrigues of UOL, who was chosen by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, of which he is a member, to publish the material; after all, his employer, Otavinho Frias, did not have his name disclosed by him.
247 - The Swissleaks scandal, involving secret numbered accounts held in Switzerland, ensnared some of the most powerful media moguls in Brazil, as well as influential journalists from the national press.
The list leaked by Hervé Falciani, a former HSBC employee, includes powerful names such as Otávio Frias, the late founder of Folha de S. Paulo, and João Jorge Saad, known as Johnny Saad, owner of the Bandeirantes group – both had empty accounts in 2007, the year the records obtained by Falciani were discovered. Otávio Frias's account later listed his son, Luís Frias, one of the owners of UOL, as the beneficiary.
Another curious character that appears on the list is José Roberto Guzzo, former director of Veja and Exame magazines and currently an editorial advisor at Abril, as well as one of the most bad-tempered columnists in the Brazilian press.
The list also included Carlos Massa, known as Ratinho, from SBT, with US$12,4 million, and Lily Marinho, widow of Roberto Marinho, from Globo, with US$750,2.
The largest sum on the list belongs to Aloysio de Andrade Faria, owner of Rede Transamérica, with US$120,5 million. Following him are Yolanda Queiroz, Lenise Queiroz Rocha, Paula Frota Queiroz, and Edson Queiroz Filho, from the Verdes Mares group, a Globo affiliate in Ceará, with US$83,9 million. Fernando João Pereira dos Santos, of Rádio Tribuna in Espírito Santo, held US$9,9 million.
In addition to them, there is also Luiz Fernando Levy, who bankrupted Gazeta Mercantil, leaving a trail of tax and labor debts.
Among salaried journalists, besides Guzzo, noteworthy is Mona Dorf, who presents a program on Jovem Pan alongside Reinaldo Azevedo, with US$310. Arnaldo Bloch, a columnist for Globo, was also an account holder at HSBC in Geneva, as was the Dines family, who at the time held US$1,3 million in the Swiss bank.
All the individuals mentioned claim to maintain regular and declared accounts – which should be verified by the Federal Revenue Service. However, the release of the list of media barons calls into question the work of Fernando Rodrigues, a journalist from UOL who was chosen by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists to receive the material. It wasn't Rodrigues who revealed the name of his boss, Luís Frias, but rather reporters Chico Otávio, Cristina Tartáguila, and Ruben Berta, from the newspaper O Globo.