Brazil: Bets CPI Postpones Pinbank Hearing and Summons Influencers

Brazil.- May 08 2025 www.zonadeazar.com  Brazil’s Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (CPI) on Betting has postponed the hearing of Carlos de La Cruz Hyppolito, partner at Pinbank Brasil, and its CEO, Anderson Cicotoste. Their testimonies were initially scheduled for this Wednesday (7). Meanwhile, the CPI has summoned digital influencers Giliard Vidal dos Santos and Luiz Ricardo Melquiades, known as Rico Melquiades.

Senator Dr. Hiran (PP-RR), president of the committee, stated that the postponement was due to both executives being abroad. Senator Soraya Thronicke (Podemos-MS), rapporteur of the CPI, requested the hearing to clarify financial operations by Pinbank Brasil potentially linked to suspicious betting platform transactions, and to better understand how the online betting market interacts with the financial system.

Requests

The committee approved mandatory testimony from Giliard (REQ 444/2025) and requested a financial intelligence report (RIF) on him (REQ 445/2025). Giliard is the son of influencer Deolane Bezerra, under investigation for money laundering by Pernambuco’s Civil Police. The RIF, compiled by Brazil’s Financial Activities Control Council (Coaf), contains confidential banking and tax information.

Rico Melquiades was also summoned as a witness (REQ 446/2025), with the goal of clarifying his role in police investigations. According to Soraya, he is involved in Operation Game Over 2, led by Alagoas Civil Police, which investigates illegal online gambling promotion via digital influencers.

The Bets CPI has until June to finalize its investigations into irregularities in the online betting industry and possible ties to organized crime.

Source: Agência Senado (Reproduction authorized with credit)

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