Brazilian billionaire Rubens Menin chairs a group at COP30 while his company MRV faces a civil lawsuit over environmental damage
Rubens Menin, among Brazil’s wealthiest individuals, is leading a sustainable cities assembly inaugurated this week during the world’s largest climate summit. While he conversed with industry figures regarding “successful examples” of urban progression, his very own construction firm has encountered legal challenges regarding ecological harm in two separate instances.
Official documents indicate that Menin’s housing development business, MRV, is currently dealing with a civil claim for supposedly inundating agricultural land within a centuries-old community established by runaway slaves.
A criminal conviction levied against MRV in a different instance — involving the discharge of untreated sewage — was revoked this week amidst COP30, the United Nations climate convention scheduled to conclude today in Belém, situated within the Brazilian Amazon. A legal authority determined that the time limit for legal action had expired given that the violation took place in 2015, and the state delayed its prosecution excessively.
Menin presides over the “Sustainable Cities Working Group,” which was unveiled at this year’s COP30 to formulate proposals for government leaders founded on “successful case studies” originating from the private sector.
Menin holds the position of chairman of the board and serves as the primary shareholder of MRV, a publicly traded entity featured on Brazil’s principal stock exchange B3 (Brasil Bolsa Balcão). He also established Banco Inter, a preeminent digital bank in Brazil, with his additional ventures spanning from media outlets to athletics, including a winery. Forbes publication estimates his wealth at $2.2 billion.
MRV refrained from addressing specific inquiries pertaining to the pair of legal cases. Menin’s press representative conveyed that he would furnish replies to questions, but did not respond prior to publication.
In an emailed declaration, MRV stated that it adheres to “all applicable environmental regulations, ensuring that each endeavor contributes to urban design and ecological equilibrium in the regions” where it functions.
The business further stated that it allocated in excess of $65 million during the prior year towards “urbanization initiatives centered on infrastructure, sustainability, and enhancement of living standards.”
Nevertheless, court records expose deficiencies in its sustainability initiatives.
Within a locality situated on the periphery of Vitória, the capital city of the southeastern state of Espírito Santo, MRV was charged in a criminal proceeding involving the causation of pollution at its condominium. According to the grievance lodged by Brazil’s Federal Public Prosecutor's Office, inspections conducted in 2015 revealed that the condominium was emitting effluent “without adequate processing, directly into the terrain and the Laranjeiras Stream.”
The firm was condemned in July and instructed to dispense a penalty of 10,000 Brazilian reais ($1,877), yet that ruling was reversed on November 17. The Prosecutor's Office concurred with the conclusive determination, stating: “Considering the duration elapsed between the submission of the complaint and the issuance of the judgment (8 years and 9 months), the allegations have become unenforceable due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.”
Concurrently, within the northeastern state of Bahia, MRV is confronting an active civil action initiated by the Federal Prosecutor's Office concerning ecological damage inflicted upon the Quilombo Quingoma community situated within the metropolitan vicinity of the capital, Salvador. The legal proceedings are predicated upon an inspection report from the state environmental organization, which ascertained that the business “was accountable for the filling and impediment” of the Jaguaribe River during the development of a condominium undertaking.
As stated in the report, the river’s water level augmented by 3.5 meters, “submerging the existing harvests along the riverbanks.” The environmental authority fined the company 100,000 reais (approximately $18,000) in 2021, and decreed the clearance of the waterway.
Nevertheless, years subsequently, inhabitants persist in experiencing the repercussions of the inundation.
“There existed certain ancient trees, jackfruit trees, and numerous cassava plants… Upon the arrival of this water, we ultimately forfeited everything,” Rosemeire Nascimento dos Santos, a resident of Quilombo Quingoma, conveyed to OCCRP.
“Quilombos” denote settlements established during the 17th century by fugitive slaves, and remain occupied by their descendants and others. These collectives possess territorial entitlements acknowledged by the Brazilian Constitution.
Irrespective of such legal safeguard, Quilombo Quingoma is encountering duress from public authorities, as per Silvio Marcio Montenegro Machado, a geography professor at the Federal Institute of Bahia. The community represents “the sole conserved green expanse” within the Salvador municipality of Lauro de Freitas, rendering it an attractive target for development.
“The municipal administration and the State Government of Bahia commenced the planning of public amenities within the community, such as the Metropolitan Hospital,” he articulated, further noting that a novel district was subsequently envisioned, “which bisects the territory nearly in its entirety.”
The administrations of the city of Lauro de Freitas and the state of Bahia furnished no response ahead of publication to an emailed request for commentary.
