A court in Rio de Janeiro has suspended the collection of debts from Refit and imposed secrecy on the proceedings.

247 - A new decision by the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice (TJRJ) has once again benefited Refit by suspending, for 120 days, the collection of obligations stipulated in the company's judicial reorganization plan, including the installment payment of debts to the state of Rio de Janeiro. This information is contained in a ruling by Judge Guaraci de Campos Vianna.

According to the newspaper O GlobeThe judge also ordered the entire process to be kept confidential, justifying it by stating that the case files contain "sensitive economic and financial data." According to the ruling, Refit did not fail to make payments on its own initiative, but due to the suspension of its activities and the existence of court-ordered asset freezes. The judge stated that applying sanctions at this time could jeopardize the judicial reorganization, impacting jobs and creditors.

History of decisions favorable to the company.

The new ruling adds to previous decisions by the same judge that were favorable to the company. In October, Guaraci Vianna authorized the partial resumption of Refit's activities, which led the federal government to appeal to the Superior Court of Justice (STJ). At that time, the STJ overturned the authorization granted by the TJRJ (Rio de Janeiro State Court). The court accepted the arguments of the Attorney General's Office of the National Treasury, which pointed to a risk to public order and the economy with the reopening of the refinery.

The judge has already been removed from office due to suspected irregularities.

Guaraci de Campos Vianna was previously removed from his duties by the National Council of Justice (CNJ) in 2019. The removal occurred due to suspicions of granting irregular injunctions during judicial shifts to benefit those under investigation. Among the cases cited at the time was the granting of house arrest to two individuals under investigation for sexual exploitation who were fugitives and wanted internationally.

Company is being investigated for tax evasion and links to a criminal organization.

Refit is the target of Operation Carbon Chain, which is investigating suspicions of tax evasion, irregular fuel supply to gas stations, and possible links to the criminal faction PCC. According to the Federal Revenue Service, the company failed to collect more than 80% of the taxes due between 2022 and 2024 and allegedly incorrectly declared the transport of raw materials in order to reduce tax payments.