Andre Esteves will petition Brazil’s Supreme Court to free the banker, one of the billionaire’s attorneys said.
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The billionaire Brazilian banker arrested on charges related to the country’s huge Petrobras corruption probe says he is not guilty, his lawyer was quoted as saying Thursday.
Amongst all of the officials and executives entangled into the investigation, Mr. Amaral is the highest-ranking politician to have been detained.
Amaral’s arrest was the first ever for a sitting senator in Brazil and it sent shockwaves through the capital.
BTG Pactual said in an emailed statement that it is cooperating with the investigation and is willing to explain whatever is necessary to authorities, without providing further details. Still, earlier in the day, Fitch Ratings put BTG Pactual’s rating on review for a downgrade because of the uncertainty ensuing from Esteves’ arrest. Alfonso has also worked as a professional currency trader focused on North America and emerging markets. “All three recent arrests (Esteves, Amaral, and Bumlai) have closer ties to the oil and gas sector and also suggest to new risks to [Petrobras]”.
Amaral allegedly tried to convince former Petrobras director Nestor Cervero, who was arrested in January, to not mention him or Esteves in testimony to federal prosecutors, according to a document of the accusations read aloud in Brasilia Wednesday by Judge Teori Zavascki. Brazil’s indices posted the worst drop among major markets on Wednesday, with BTG Pactual’s stock slipping 21% to BRL24.40 (£4.30).
The arrests stem from an investigation into a money laundering scandal that has undermined Brazil’s government and once-strong economy.
Esteves, 47, has drawn on powerful connections in politics and global finance to steer BTG Pactual through turbulent times as Brazil’s economy plunged into a sharp recession.
His main link to $2 billion Petrobras corruption scandal is his stake at Sete Brasil, a company that operates drill ships for Petrobras. BTG has 64 partners, according to its website. BTG’s press office said it couldn’t immediately comment, while calls and messages to Amaral’s press officer and chief of staff went unanswered.
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The Petrobras scandal, in which executives colluded with politicians and businessmen to rob the company through bribes for rigged contracts, cost the company more than $2 billion.
