The Federal Police (PF) launched, this Tuesday (30), Operation Skotos, which would be the third phase of Operation Black Flag. The action investigates crimes of forgery and use of documents, money laundering and criminal association and fraud in bidding procedures with the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel).
According to the PF, 28 search and seizure warrants issued by the First Federal Court of Campinas are being fulfilled, in five states: São Paulo, Ceará, Rio de Janeiro, Pernambuco, Tocantins and the Federal District.
The action takes place in the cities of Campinas, Bragança Paulista, Valinhos, Indaiatuba, Itatiba, Sumaré, São Paulo and Vargem Grande Paulista, in the state of São Paulo; in Juazeiro do Norte, Fortaleza and Eusébio, in Ceará; in the capital of Rio de Janeiro and Recife (PE); in Palmas and Araguaína, in Tocantins, and in Brasília (DF).
THE CNN contacted Aneel, but so far there has been no response.
According to the investigations, after analyzing the material obtained from the searches, the PF discovered that the investigated had acted during the last ten years. Now, they were active in the field of photovoltaic energy exploration, through shell companies, in bidding processes for the concession of parks for the installation of solar energy plants.
The auctions won and then sold, generated around R$150 million, with a large part of the money raised going to shell companies, which would have purchased approximately R$47 million in luxury goods.
In today’s operation, the PF has the support of the Federal Revenue Service and the Federal Public Ministry. The first phase of Operation Black Flag took place in 2021, when a group from Campinas, in the interior of São Paulo, used shell companies and “oranges” to move funds for financial crimes and tax evasion.
“Skotos” comes from the Greek and means darkness, and refers to fraud in auctions aimed at the photovoltaic energy sector and the complex system of falsehood to hide the crimes and illegal gains of the criminal organization.
Source: CNN Brasil
