Just like the peaceful São Miguel do Iguaçu, in the interior of Paraná, where the Maggi family business started, the routine among the heirs of the man who came to be known as the “King of Soy” followed normally until last month.
However, a recent discovery has stirred up all members of the clan and could interfere in the future of one of the largest conglomerates of agribusiness companies in the world, with operations in Brazil, China, Argentina, Paraguay, Holland, Norway, Switzerland and Singapore.
It all started in 1955, when André Antônio Maggi, from Rio Grande do Sul, set up a grain processing company in Paraná. In a short time, he expanded his activities to Mato Grosso. Soon it was included in the ranking of the largest soy producers in the country.
André Maggi died in 2001, with advanced stage Parkinson’s disease. As a result, his wife Lúcia Maggi, their children and sons-in-law took over the business.
Today, they are all on the Forbes billionaires list, each with an average net worth of over BRL 6 billion.
This total includes the so-called “jewels” of the group: Agropecuária Maggi and Sementes Maggi – the targets of dispute between heirs.
On the day the family patriarch died, a daughter conceived out of wedlock came to be recognized by her brothers. Still during the wake, she would have been oriented to take the DNA test.
Carina Maggi was born in 1981. Her maternal grandparents worked on a Maggi farm.
According to her, since she was a child, she knew she was the daughter of André Maggi. But she preferred to live discreetly, with an “informal pension” that also involved paying school fees.
After paternity was officially recognized, Carina began to use her father’s surname and, due to her father’s death, was called by her brothers to share the property.
With no experience in legal matters, at the age of 20, he agreed to the terms. At the time, he received R$ 1.9 million. Which, corrected, is equivalent today to approximately R$ 10.6 million.
Carina went on with her life, and together with her husband and children, they became soy producers. Total dedication to the field. Until recently, she had to deal with matters related to André Maggi. She had access to documents from the companies that belonged to her father.
The heiress was startled to learn of the changes made to the corporate structure of the firms in the months leading up to her death. And more: the signatures, according to her, would have signs of forgery.
In other words: before he died, the father “donated” to his wife the shares he had in the two main companies of the group. As a result, these items were not included in the division of assets among the children.
“In the assets of these companies were the largest farms, vans, trucks, agricultural machinery that cost millions of reais, all of high value. An apparent maneuver not to enter into the distribution among the heirs”, explained the lawyer Isaias Diniz, who together with Josmeyr de Oliveira work on Carina’s cause.
As soon as the recess of the judiciary ends, the defense must file a lawsuit in the Justice of Mato Grosso asking for the nullity of these transfers of quotas of the companies.
To support the request, an expert specialized in document and graphic analysis was hired. The report concludes that the signatures of the amendments to the social contract do not match older ones.
There are also two signatures, in a short period of time, in which the first is “shaky, due to Parkinson’s” and the other “perfect” signed a few days ahead. “Did he get healed in the meantime?” asks the lawyer.
At the same time, the lawyers intend to represent against the Amaggi group at The US Security and Exchange Community (SEC), the US body equivalent to the Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM) in Brazil.
The measure, according to the defense, will be made because the companies operate in North American territory and “need to make it clear to the market that relevant documents involving them are under suspicion”, Isaias Diniz.
In a note, Amaggi informed that as it deals with an issue directly linked to the Maggi family, the company will not comment on the subject.
Members of the Maggi family who work in the business responded that they will not comment on the matter, reserving to deal with it only in the judicial sphere.
Source: CNN Brasil
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