The Federal Police revealed a friendship between the former governor of Rio, Cláudio Castro, and businessman Ricardo Magro, owner of Grupo Refit (former Manguinhos Refinery), investigated for a money laundering scheme. The justice of the Supreme Federal Court, Alexandre de Moraes, lifted the secrecy of the inquiry from Operation Sem Refino 2. Businessman Ricardo Magro is considered a fugitive.
The investigations show that Cláudio Castro obtained direct benefits in the Refit money laundering scheme. The forensic analysis of the former governor's cell phone, seized in May, recovered direct conversations between the two. The data extracted by the PF also reveals that Castro and state secretaries maintained direct communication channels with the businessman.
After a trip by Castro to New York, where he met with Magro, the businessman sent a message thanking the politician for his presence. Castro responded: "Ricardo, I thank you. Here you have a friend, know that." The messages contradict the former governor's previous version, in which at the time of the operation he had denied any involvement with Magro.
