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São Paulo officials arrested in ICMS tax corruption probe
The São Paulo Public Prosecutor's Office (MP-SP) launched Operação Caldarium to investigate a corruption scheme involving tax procedures and ICMS tax credits. The operation resulted in the preventive arrest of André Weiss, a former official of the São Paulo State Secretariat of Finance and Planning (Sefaz-SP), and lawyer João André Buttini de Moraes.
Investigators also executed search warrants against former executive director Vitor Manuel dos Santos Alves Jr. and carried out 47 search and seizure warrants across São Paulo, Greater São Paulo, and Mato Grosso do Sul. During searches at Weiss’s residence in Piracicaba, authorities seized a firearm, ammunition, notebooks, cell phones, and various currencies, including euros and US dollars.
Evidence from the investigation includes an environmental wiretap from a meeting involving tax auditors. The recording reportedly captures discussions regarding routines of bribery and illicit gains. This operation is a development of the previous Operação Ícaro, which targeted large-scale bribery involving the early reimbursement of ICMS-ST taxes.
Entities
André Weiss · Artur Gomes da Silva Neto · João André Buttini de Moraes · Ministério Público de São Paulo · Secretaria da Fazenda e Planejamento de São Paulo