In a decisive legal move, the São Paulo Public Prosecutor's Office (MP-SP) has officially shut the door on a proposed plea bargain agreement with two of Brazil's most wanted businessmen. The targets, Mohamad Hussein Mourad, known as 'Primo,' and Roberto Augusto Leme da Silva, alias 'Beto Louco,' are the principal figures in the sprawling 'Carbono Oculto' investigation. They stand accused of orchestrating a massive, sophisticated criminal enterprise within the national fuel sector on behalf of the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) crime syndicate.
The formal rejection was issued by the state's top prosecutor, Procurador-Geral de Justiça Paulo Sérgio de Oliveira e Costa. The decision was communicated to the defense team on Thursday, who declined to comment, citing the confidential nature of the ongoing proceedings. This refusal, however, does not permanently bar a future agreement should new, substantive information come to light during the trial.
Prosecutors outlined several critical failures in the proposed collaboration. A primary issue was the fact that both 'Primo' and 'Beto Louco' have been fugitives since August 2025, following the launch of related federal operations. Furthermore, authorities determined that the men failed to provide the minimum required elements for a valid plea deal. They were accused of omitting crucial details about the PCC's internal structure, the division of criminal tasks, and the full scope of their money-laundering operations.
A significant point of contention was the alleged corruption. The defense had presented material claiming to document over R$400 million in bribes paid to politicians, judges, and other officials between 2022 and 2024. However, investigators assessed that the evidence provided was less comprehensive than what had been reported in the media and pertained to a single judge who is already facing criminal and administrative charges.
While the businessmen had signaled a willingness to pay over R$1 billion in back taxes and fines, prosecutors state that financial figures were never seriously negotiated. The process stalled before reaching the stage of discussing specific penalties or prison regimes, as the evidentiary foundation was deemed insufficient.
This rejection in São Paulo mirrors a similar outcome in the state of Piauí. Earlier this year, the specialized Gaeco unit in Piauí also turned down a collaboration offer from the same pair, concluding that the information they possessed was already known to investigators and offered no new avenues for advancing the case.
The 'Carbono Oculto' and related 'Tank' operations have exposed what authorities describe as a highly organized scheme involving tax evasion, money laundering, and systemic fraud in the fuel market. The formal rejection of this plea deal marks a major procedural step, forcing the case to proceed through traditional investigative and judicial channels without the cooperation of its alleged masterminds.
Based on reporting from g1.