There is a vast body of evidence connecting the meat-processor JBS to decades of illegal deforestation and land grabbing of Indigenous territories in the Brazilian Amazon. Most of this deforestation is not only illegal, but also constitutes an environmental crime under Brazilian law – as it would be under the laws of most European states. Through its direct and indirect suppliers, JBS can be linked to 6.5 million hectares of deforested land, as new analyses from Aid Environment show. By late 2023, an estimated 60,000 cattle were being raised illegally on nearly 900 km² of pasture within Indigenous territories. Indigenous communities continue to pay the price for illegal deforestation: they are forced out of their own territories, while their homes, livelihoods and cultures are destroyed. In addition, their struggles to defend their rights and denounce these crimes contend with constant criminalization and violent suppression.
The TLC argues that under anti-money laundering (AML) laws, the cattle raised on criminally deforested land constitute proceeds of crime. This assessment remains unchanged by JBS’s usual business practice of moving cattle to compliant farms before they are slaughtered and processed at one of its 21 facilities in the area. The concept of money laundering applies to all physical and other new forms of handling of money or property derived from criminal activity – provided those handling it know of or have reason to suspect its criminal origin. The TLC claims that vast publicly available evidence raises serious questions about JBS’s knowledge of the origins of the cattle in its supply chain. This is why we have filed a complaint against JBS’s ultimate parent company, which was recently established in the Netherlands. We are asking the Dutch Public Prosecutor's Office to open an investigation into JBS N.V. and, ultimately, to bring charges against the company for money laundering – specifically, for handling the proceeds derived from illegally deforested land in the Amazon.
Given the size and volume of JBS’s business and its globe-spanning value chain, the risk of money laundering travels alongside the profits generated within global financial markets. Therefore, the TLC’s other 11 complaints target financial institutions that lend to or invest in JBS, as well as the company’s legal and accounting firms in the Netherlands. These complaints rely on AML legal frameworks common to all European states – as well as the UK. Essentially, this framework requires those operating in the “regulated sector” – including financial institutions, lawyers and accountants – to conduct enhanced due diligence for AML purposes on customers and transactions which carry a high risk of money laundering. It also requires them to report suspected money laundering to the relevant authorities. In fact, failing to report such suspicions can constitute a criminal offense, both for the company and its employees.
