Chronology of the case of the case of Rodrigo Silveirinha Corrêa

August 2002: The Attorney general office of Switzerland opens inquiry on suspicious deposits of US$ 33,4 million in the Discount Bank and Trust  (now is Union Bancaire Privée). The account holders are Brazilian tax inspectors from the Rio de Janeiro state government. 1

October 2002: The report of the Swiss inquiry is delivered to the Brazilian general prosecutor, Geraldo Brindeiro.

January 2003: The Brazilian Federal Police opens inquiry on the supposedly illegal deposits after the case becomes public.

February 2003: A state parliamentary inquiry commission is established to investigate the case, which is named as 'Propinoduto'.

March 2003: The Swiss Office of the Attorney General provides judicial assistance to Brazilian authorities in the case and a detailed current account of the 'Discount Bank and Trust Company' (now Union Bancaire Privée), in which the accounts holders are eight Brazilian tax inspectors.

The Brazilian Federal Police accuses 12 individuals, 10 of them tax inspectors, one of them a former subsecretary of the 'Internal Revenue Office of Rio de Janeiro', by the name of Geraldo Moreira and the lobbyist Romeu Sufan of money laundering, tax evasion and maintaining bank accounts in foreign country without making a declaration to the Brazilian Authorites.

April 2003: On 15 April 2003 two people appear as witness at the Federal Justice Office, namely Valéria Gonçalves dos Santos, ex wife of the tax inspector Carlos Eduardo Pereira Ramos and the lobbyist Roman Sufan.

Valéria Gonçalves dos Santos said that her ex husband used to keep dollars at home and from time to time he sent the money to Switzerland. She also said that the money was delivered to a secretary of the Brazilian pricate corporation managers Alexandre Martins and Reinaldo Pitta, whose companies are been investigated through the Federal Police.

In 1997 a standard form was fill by her in English for the opening of a bank account at the Discount Bank and Trust in Switzerland. This account was later closed by her ex husband Pereira Ramos, who opened 2 other accounts in 1998 and 1999.

In 1997 Valéria was in Switzerland with Pereira Ramos and another tax inspector namely Rômulo Gonçalves and his wife Andréa Gonçalves. They went to Discount Bank and Trust to check the amount in the accounts. According to her Mr. Gonçalves got US$ 40 thousand from the bank.

Andréa Gonçalves told Valéria that their husbands had made a deal to get US$ 3 million from the Lab SmithKline (today Glaxo Wellcome) in 1997.

The witness Romeu Sufan said that the tax inspector Rômulo Gonçalves sent to 'Light Serviços de Eletricidade S.A of Rio de Janeiro' a 'bill' to asking for bribe (commission)  in exchange for cancelling administrative fines for noncompliance.
This Bribe money was US$ 2 million. Sufan would get 10% of it.

Through the hearing of these two witness the Brazilian Officials found strong suspicion of corruption and that this could be the source of the money in the Swiss bank.

After that eight tax inspectors were arrested and among them Rodrigo Silveirinha Corrêa.

The parliamentary inquiry commission ordered that the Federal Police and Public Ministry investigate the private companies 'Glaxo Wellcome' (former SmithKline), 'Rio de Janeiro Refresco' (from the group Coca-Cola) for active corruption and also that the board members of 'Light Services of Electricity of Rio de Janeiro' Elias Marinho, Edésio Quintal and José Srur should be charged of false witness.2

Mid 2003: Twelve tax inspectors were arrested for various offences, including: peculation, passive corruption, official misconduct, crime against the tax office, tax evasion, illicit enrichment, formation of a criminal group, money laundering and evasion of obligations. The names of the main accomplices and money held in their swiss accounts are:
   1. Rodrigo Silveirinha Correa, US$ 9,6 million in the swiss account;
   2. Carlos Eduardo Pereira Ramos, US$ 19,4 million;
   3. Lúcio Manoel Picanço, US$ 1,3 million;
   4. Rômulo Gonçalves, US$ 2,3 million;
   5. Júlio Cezar Nogueira:

Other officers who cooperated in crimes against the tax office, tax evasion, money laundering and evasion of obligation were: Ronaldo Adler, Herry Rosemberg, Reinaldo Pitta, Alexandre Martins, Lilian Nigri, Genilson Bonfim Machado, Albertino da Silva, David Birman, Jonathas Barbosa Pinheiro, and Geraldo Moreira Barbosa.

Others linked to the case nd charged for peculation, passive corruption, official miscondut, crime against tax office, tax evasion, illicit enrichment, formation of a criminal group, money laundering and evasion of obligations included: Eduardo Bastos Campos, Paulo Roberto Coelho da Cunha, César Augusto Alves de Oliveira, Antônio Gerbassi, Gustavo Amaral, Waltaydes Teixeira de Paula, Severino Pompilho do Rego, and  Romeu Michel Sufan; while three others were charged of corruption and acceptance of benefits by a public official and also for false witness before the parliamentary commission and for active corruption, namely: Elias Marinho, Edésio Quintal, and José Srur.

Companies involved include:
   1. Rio de Janeiro Refrescos (Coca-Cola Group) for tax evasion;
   2. SmithKline (now Glaxo) for active corruption.

September 2007: The Brazilian supreme court confirmed the conviction and prison sentences of 22 tax inspectors and their leader Rodrigo Silveirinha for money laundering and corruption.

The penalties ranged from 1 year community service to 20 years and 6 months prison sentence. Also the application of fines vary up to US$ 146,799.00.

Rodrigo Silveirinha Corrêa and Carlos Eduardo Pereira Ramos handed a 20 year prison term and a fine of US$ 174,384.91 each. 3

August 2008: Five Swiss bankers convicted for helping or failing to report to authorities suspicious transactions involving the Brazilian tax officals. The court sentenced them to suspended prison terms ranging from 13 months to 16 months. They were also fined  up to US$ 19,000.00 according to the individual fault. They were further asked to pay the costs related to prosecution of the case amounting to US$ 51,862.96. 4