By Brazil Stock Guide – A federal judge in Brazil rejected a request by Refit to bar two senior directors of the national petroleum regulator ANP from administrative cases involving the refinery. The decision, published late Wednesday (3) and first reported by Agência iNFRA, found no basis for the company’s claim that the officials should be removed.
Judge Renato Coelho Borelli of the Federal District stated that the company failed to demonstrate any breach of essential procedures or contamination of the agency’s decision-making. He wrote that there were “no elements that allow affirming the existence of imminent risk of irreparable damage or damage that is difficult to repair.” Borelli also noted that the administrative case remains suspended after a request for further review, with no session scheduled.
Refit had argued that ANP directors Pietro Mendes and Symone Araújo had a “personal interest” in the proceedings and criticized what it called a “cross-vote” on its request for their recusal. The judge highlighted that interim judicial interference in highly technical procedures, particularly those linked to Operation Carbono Oculto — which led to the refinery’s shutdown — could undermine regulatory enforcement.
ANP has accused Refit of importing finished gasoline instead of naphtha, a move that could generate tax and operational advantages. The regulator also flagged violations including failure to comply with a precautionary measure on storage space, keeping products beyond permitted risk levels, gaps in measurement controls and temperature inconsistencies in distillation towers.
(Refit is privately held and has no publicly listed ticker.)
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