Thread by @mongabay

A new Mongabay + @earthsight investigation reveals evidence of corrupt deals and illegal practices by Brazil’s largest flooring exporter, @IndusParquetUSA, and its suppliers, reports @karlamendes.

But what exactly happened? 🧵

news.mongabay.com/2022/09/the-fi…

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@IndusParquetUSA was charged in 2 corruption lawsuits in Brazil over its use of public officials to gain access to timber supplies.

Photo: company co-founder Jose Antonio Baggio’s hearing. Baggio is top left.

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We gained access to dozens of hours of wiretaps and video footage, along with thousands of pages of court records, revealing how the alleged bribery schemes were carried out.

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One of the court cases showed the company used a local official to secure the supply of bracatinga, a tree species native to the Atlantic Forest, for an unnamed “U.S. client.”

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We found indications that the American client was @flooranddecor, America’s largest flooring retail chain, which was previously involved in illegal timber scandals with Indusparquet.

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@LLFlooring, fined for breaching the Lacey Act in 2013 over its illegal timber exports, is also an Indusparquet client.

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To learn more about this joint investigation with @earthsight, read @karlamendes’ full article:

news.mongabay.com/2022/09/the-fi…

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With the #BrazilElection on Oct. 2, you need access to independent, fact-based information.

To learn more about the topics mentioned in this thread on #Brazil, check out this article:

news.mongabay.com/2022/09/brazil…

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Interested in learning more about this? Check out our related series below:

Amazon Illegal Deforestation: news.mongabay.com/series/amazon-…

Illegal Timber Trade: news.mongabay.com/list/illegal-t…

Environmental Crime: news.mongabay.com/list/environme…

Brazil: news.mongabay.com/list/brazil/

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