BRAZIL FOOD SAFETY PROBE
Executives of BRF who were released by police on Friday will not be able to return to their posts at the company , the world’s largest poultr y exporter, – Brazil’s public prosecutor’s office said on Saturday.
A Brazilian judge ordered their suspension from their activities in the company to avoidthe risk ofthem interfering with an investigation that they engaged in fraudto evade food safety inspections. They were ordered to stay away from the group and any establishments BRF dealt with, including labs.
Police arrested former BRF CEO Pedro Faria, the company ‘s former vice-president Helio dos Santos and other executives last Monday on charges that they knew the company engagedin – fraud to evade food-saf ety inspections. All six people were set free on Friday.
BRF shares posted their biggest loss to date on the Sao Paulo stock exchange after the arrests lifted concerns about the firm’s leadership following a 1.l-billion reais ($338m) loss in 2017 in the fallout from the investigation into alleged bribery of food-sanitation inspectors at BRF and other food Brazilian processors. /Reuters
Agency Staff
Brasilia
