Among the mining companies is Belo Sun, which is trying to build the largest open-pit gold mine in Volta Grande do Xingu
Canadian bank Forbes & Manhattan struggled with its billionaire business in the Amazon before Jair Bolsonaro (PL) was inaugurated as President of the Republic in 2019. But over the past three years the scenario has changed.
Gradually, the group approached members linked to the armed forces within the executive, reaching Vice President of the Republic and retired army general Hamilton Mourão (PRTB) – with whom it dealt directly , in exclusive meetings in Brasilia. For years, the Canadian bank has been trying to release the environmental licenses of mining companies linked to it, in Amazonas and Pará.
Based on a set of documents, Agência Pública reveals behind the scenes of the affair between the Bolsonaro government and Forbes & Manhattan with their associated companies. Among them is the controversial mining company Belo Sun, which for more than ten years has been trying to build the world’s largest open pit gold mine at Volta Grande do Xingu. If successful, Belo Sun will install a tailings dam in the area that is even larger than that of the Broken Valley at Mariana (MG).
The Canadian bank has accumulated the victories for the liberation of its businesses in the Amazon in the last three months of 2021. In the period, the Union has also liberated areas initially intended for agrarian reform for the same group to install a mine gold at the heart of the Xingu – an agreement which, even with reports of irregularities, is still valid according to the Official Gazette.
In addition, another report by Pública shows that in November last year, Forbes & Manhattan completed the purchase of a shale refinery from Petrobras in southern Paraná, with the entire technology park developed at from scratch in place since the 1970s.
In this case, as our report shows, Petrobras ignored its own suspicions about this same group to close the deal. The report sent a series of questions to the Forbes & Manhattan group to better understand its plans in Brazil, but there was no response.
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