2024-01-05
BELÉM – Mauricio Gaioti, CEO of the North Star refinery operating in Para State, Brazil, resigned after having been exposed in the Gold chain investigation.
As confirmed by the statutory protocols which journalists obtained just before the end of 2023, Mauricio Gaioti presented his resignation from the CEO position of the North Star refinery on October 30th, 13 days after the publication in Repórter Brasil which was a part of the Gold Chain investigation supported by Journalismfund Europe.
North Star's partner in Belgium, Sylvain Goetz, had been previously convicted in Belgium for illegal gold trading. Alain Goetz, his brother, who had been convicted together with him, has connections with another member of the Belém refinery — 24 Gold which Mauricio Gaioti was also affiliated with.
The North Star also signed a deal with a Brazilian-based refinery named Gana Gold. Its owners were subsequently arrested, and accused of leading a billion-dollar money laundering scheme through the purchase of illegal gold.
