Former Banco do Brasil director arrested in Italy

Brazil’s Federal Police announced this Wednesday (Feb. 5) the arrest in Italy of former Banco do Brasil Marketing Director Henrique Pizzolato, sentenced by the Supreme Federal Court to twelve years and seven months in jail for the crimes of money laundering, embezzlement and criminal conspiracy, in the case known as mensalão, which involved politicians and high-ranking officials connected with former president Lula’s administration.

Pizzolato, who holds dual citizenship, was considered a fugitive by the Brazilian Justice. His name was also included in Interpol’s wanted persons list in over 190 countries.

His arrest was carried out during a joint operation with the Italian police.

Luiz Cravo Dórea, Federal Police investigator and coordinator of the International Cooperation, has described the steps which led to the imprisonment of Pizzolato, who is already being heard by Italian authorities in the city of Modena, while “our attaché in Italy is just watching,” according to Federal Police executive director Rogério Galloro.

According to the Federal Police, Pizzolato had escaped two months prior to the issue by the Supreme Court of his arrest warrant, on November 15 last year. After the Court’s decision was made, the Federal Police notified Interpol as well as all the Federal Police attachés working abroad.

The investigations led to a register with the name of the director’s brother, Celso Pizzolato, who died in 1978 in the city of Concordia, in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. His name was found on the list of passengers in a flight from Buenos Aires to Barcelona on September 12. After this was discovered, the Federal Police found out that the passport used by Pizzolato to leave Brasil was counterfeit, just as his Italian passport, social security card and voter’s card.

According to the investigators, Pizzolato left Brazil through the Argentinean border and drove 1,314 km straight to the Ezeiza Airport, in Buenos Aires, where his wife had already bought his ticket to Barcelona. From Spain, he drove to Italy in a car rented by his wife, Andrea Haas.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira