Appointed as a criminal organization that exploits mining in the Yanomami Indigenous Land, the group of Bolsonarist businessman Rodrigo Martins de Mello makes use of an irregular license and with “serious inconsistencies” to justify the exploitation of ores, point out an investigation by the Federal Police and a complaint by the MPF (Federal Public Ministry) in Roraima.
The license was issued by the environmental agency of the Government of Roraima, Femarh (State Foundation for the Environment and Water Resources).
The document refers to an area with no appearance of mining, outside the indigenous land, and sought to give the appearance of legality to gold and cassiterite mining in Yanomami territory, according to PF and MPF.
Mello, known as Rodrigo Cataratas, was denounced by the Public Prosecutor’s Office on suspicion of being the leader of a criminal organization that exploits illegal mining in the Yanomami area. The complaint is dated November 8 and took place within the scope of a process kept confidential in Federal Justice.
The accusation includes Mello, a son, a sister, two other people and a group company.
The businessman was a candidate for federal deputy for the PL, President Jair Bolsonaro’s party, and ended up defeated at the polls. He leads a pro-mining movement in Roraima.
The Attorney General’s Office claims that Mello’s group used 23 helicopters and operated with “powerful logistical and economic gear” in mines in the traditional territory. There are around 20,000 prospectors in the indigenous land, according to indigenous associations.
The businessman placed one of the aircraft, stylized with elements of the country’s flag, in an act on September 7 in favor of Bolsonaro, also defeated at the polls, in the center of Boa Vista.
To justify mining activities, Mello claims to have the necessary licenses for the activity. It is the same argument of his son, Celso Rodrigo de Mello, who was arrested by the PF and was released after presenting a copy of the operating license number 14/19, of May 28, 2020, issued by Femarh.
PF and Attorney’s Office, however, point out irregularities in the license used to try to legitimize the activities.
The defense of Mello and family members said, in a note, that the clients were not summoned by the Justice and that it did not have access to the content of the complaint.
“There is an ongoing institutional persecution of Rodrigo and his family, due to what they insist on turning a blind eye to, that is, the serious discoveries that promote questions about the suitability of the investigations, the acts of some public servants and the authority that conducted the investigation. “, said the lawyer Ana Paula de Souza Cruz.
The president of Femarh, Glicério Fernandes, told the Sheet that the license was suspended after verification of deforestation outside the authorized polygon. “He was fined and the area embargoed,” he said.
According to Fernandes, an on-site investigation could lead to the definitive revocation of the license if it is found that the area is not being used. Any inconsistencies must be investigated by the PF, according to the president of the Roraima body.
According to the complaint, the group exploited gold and cassiterite in the indigenous land at least between January 2018 and August 2021.
The authorization concerns the extraction of diamonds, gold and cassiterite in Amajari, 155 km from the capital Boa Vista. The ANM (National Mining Agency) only approved in August of this year the inclusion of cassiterite in the mining permission, according to the MPF.
“State consent, even if regular, would not have a retrospective effect and, therefore, would not legitimize previously committed illicit acts”, says the complaint.
According to an analysis carried out by the PF, the license is in the third amendment, the last one being in July, to include the possibility of exploring cassiterite.
The police pointed out inconsistencies in the date displayed before the signatures of the document. The date –May 28, 2020– would be inconsistent with other time references present in the license.
Another inconsistency, according to the police, is in relation to the signature of the president of Femarh, appointed to the position in 2021, according to the investigation.
The PF did not find an internal control opinion mentioned in the authorization process and stated that there were transfers of resources from the group to the personal account of the area servant at Femarh in 2021. The servant says that these are fees to the law firm for services rendered to Mello.
The total assignment of rights to Mello, referring to the mining permission, was published in the Federal Official Gazette in July 2022, according to investigations. In the mining polygon, “no signs of human intervention were seen between January 2020 and January 2022 that would indicate the extraction of ore”, according to the police analysis.
Already GPS records from the group’s helicopter, hidden spreadsheets, videos and telephone messages show numerous flights to Yanomami territory, according to investigations.
Mello’s defense said that the businessman has already proved that the businessman does not extract ore from the Yanomami Indigenous Land and has mining licenses in Roraima, Rondônia and Pará.
“The cassiterite object of commercialization of its activity was a mineral product extracted in Rondônia, according to invoices already attached to the Federal Regional Court of the 1st Region”, he stated.
“All other defensive details will be addressed when and if your clients are cited, which will be a relief, as they will finally have the chance to defend themselves in the case file, where the defense must, by law, be promoted”, said the lawyer Ana Paula Cross.
I have worked as a journalist for over 10 years, and my work has been featured on many different news websites. I am also an author, and my work has been published in several books. I specialize in opinion writing, and I often write about current events and controversial topics. I am a very well-rounded writer, and I have a lot of experience in different areas of journalism. I am a very hard worker, and I am always willing to put in the extra effort to get the job done.
