Mayor of Centro Novo do Maranhão convicted of illegal gold mining

A Brazilian Federal Court has convicted Júnior Garimpeiro, the mayor of Centro Novo do Maranhão, for environmental damages caused by the irregular processing of gold. The illegal mining activities took place on federal public land designated for agrarian reform within the Quadra Água Azul Settlement Project.

In addition to the mayor, the state of Maranhão, an entrepreneur, and a mining company were also convicted. The defendants are required to cease all irregular mining activities, vacate the area, perform environmental recovery of the degraded land, and pay indemnities.

The conviction follows a 2021 civil public action by the Federal Public Ministry (MPF). Investigations by the National Mining Agency (ANM) and the National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (Incra) in 2019 identified machinery and structures used for unauthorized exploitation. The court found that the mayor directly participated in the operations by entering into private lease agreements and submitting fraudulent documentation to obtain environmental licenses without valid federal authorization.