Roberto is one of the most senior officials at BRF, second in command to the meat processor’s CEO Pedro De Andrade Faria, and handed in his resignation this week amid a criminal proceeding in his native Brazil.
Details of the case remain sketchy. However, what is clear is that the Regional Federal Court of Appeals of the Third Region, São Paulo, reached a decision in a criminal case involving José Roberto, according to BRF.
The case does not relate to Roberto’s activities at BRF. It is linked to something that occurred more than a decade ago, BRF said in a statement.
An ‘adequate measure’
Legal advisers told the company that the court’s decision did not stop Roberto from carrying out work at the business, but he has resigned this week regardless. According to BRF, this decision was taken because the former vice-president “understands that this is the most adequate measure for the moment”.
BRF’s board of directors held a meeting on 2 August to discuss Roberto’s resignation, during which the business thanked him for his years of service as vice-president.
His position will remain vacant until a decision on how to move forward is agreed.
A BRF spokesperson could not confirm what decision the Regional Federal Court of Appeals of the Third Region had made, or why this decision seemingly forced Roberto to resign. However, multiple reports in Brazil have claimed a judge ordered the arrest of Roberto. He will reportedly have to serve five years and two months in prison in what numerous Brazilian news outlets have described as a “semi-open regime”.
GlobalMeatNews could not independently verify this information.