credit, Michael Nagel/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Businessman Josely Batista, one of the owners of JBS, the world’s largest producer of animal protein, went to Venezuela to ask Nicolas Maduro to leave the government, according to Bloomberg News Agency.
According to Bloomberg, the businessman visited the neighboring country on his own initiative and was not invited to go on behalf of the United States, although Trump administration officials were aware of the trip.
Palacio do Planalto has not taken a position on the issue and has not confirmed to BBC News Brazil whether President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) was aware of the meeting between Batista and Maduro.
JBS is controlled by the holding company J&F, which also did not comment on the content of the talks. In a memo to the agency, the group stated only that Joseli Batista does not represent any government.
BBC Brazil also contacted Guisly Batista, but had not received a response by the time this report was published.
The Brazilian businessman’s trip to Venezuela came amid escalating tensions between Caracas and Washington. The US government accuses Maduro of heading the “Cartel de los Soles,” which Washington classifies as a terrorist organization.
At the end of November, Trump announced that the airspace “over” and “around” Venezuela would be closed “completely.”
In recent months, the United States has intensified its pressure on Maduro, deeming his government illegitimate after the 2024 elections, which were widely rejected due to accusations of fraud.
The country carried out its largest military deployment in decades in the Caribbean Sea, carrying out a series of attacks against ships, mostly Venezuelan, allegedly involved in drug trafficking in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
The country sent the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier, the largest aircraft carrier in the world, in addition to about 15,000 soldiers, the largest US deployment in the region since the invasion of Panama in 1989. Washington says the operation aims to combat drug trafficking.
Maduro denies these accusations and claims that the United States is seeking to overthrow his government to gain control of Venezuelan oil.
According to Bloomberg, the US authorities were aware of Batista’s plans to travel to Caracas, but did not send him on behalf of the United States.
The agency highlighted the role of the Brazilian businessman as a mediator in an attempt to ease political tensions between the two countries.
Brazilian diplomat
The presence of businessman Joseli Batista in Caracas reveals the role played by the J&F partner behind the scenes in international politics.
In October, the businessman was part of the business delegation that accompanied Lula on his trip to Southeast Asia, passing through Indonesia and Malaysia, in search of alternative paths in the face of deteriorating relations with Washington.
The trip marked the first meeting between Lula and Trump since the United States imposed 50% tariffs on Brazilian products – a measure that sparked the largest modern diplomatic crisis between the two countries.
Despite not holding public office, Batista, who was put back in charge of JBS after his departure in 2017, has continued to dialogue with figures from the Trump administration to eliminate the tariffs.
He was removed from JBS management for five years, until 2024, as part of the leniency agreement signed with the Federal Public Ministry related to Operation Lava Jato.
In September, the businessman was at the White House to discuss increasing tariffs on Brazilian exports, including beef. Additional animal protein rates were revised in November.
The session was held weeks before Republicans approved Lula in the UN General Assembly, the first sign of cordiality in relations between the two countries.
Pilgrim’s Pride, JBS’s US subsidiary, donated US$5 million to Trump’s inauguration, according to a report filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). This was the largest amount ever donated by a company individually for the event.
In June, JBS received permission to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange, a process that has been deadlocked at the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) since 2017.
credit, Michael Nagel/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Regarding Venezuela, J&F Group companies have expanded their interests in the energy sector.
Ampar Energia even received a permit from the Brazilian government to import electricity from Venezuela to supply Roraima – a process that has not progressed due to technical problems, but its initial license remains valid.
Fluxus, another company in the group, opened an office in Caracas and has been exploring for oil reserves for more than a year, Bloomberg says. J&F denied to the agency that it had ongoing business in the country.
The relationship between the two countries has been going on for a long time. In 2015, JBS reached a US$2.1 billion agreement with the Venezuelan government to supply beef and chicken at a time when the country was facing severe food shortages. High-ranking Venezuelan officials participated in the negotiations, including Diosdado Cabello, the current Minister of the Interior.
“Gusley Day”
credit, Andre Coelho/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Brothers Gosley and Wesley Batista saw the family business become the world’s largest meat producer, with the help of the BNDES (National Bank for the Promotion of the Productive Sector) during Lula’s first governments.
The brothers were deeply involved in the Brazilian political scene: JBS was the largest donor to the 2014 election campaign, spending R$391 million, and supported the victory of 164 federal representatives, six governors and a slate of candidates drawn up by former President Dilma Rousseff and Temer.
Years later, Wesley and Goesley reached a plea agreement after carrying out a series of federal police operations in which J&F was one of the targets — including allegations of irregularities in the approval of BNDES loans.
He admitted to bribing hundreds of politicians in exchange for financing from state banks and pension funds.
In 2017, Gosley recorded an off-schedule meeting with then-President Michel Temer as part of a plea agreement.
The scandal caused one of the largest stock market crashes in modern Brazilian history, dubbed “Gosley Day.”
In the recorded conversation, Temer told Batista, “You have to keep it there,” when talking about Gosley’s good relationship with former MP Eduardo Cunha.
Batista stated at the time in the plea deal that Temer agreed to an operation to buy Cunha’s silence about wrongdoing involving the allies.
In an interview with BBC News Brazil in 2019, Temer stated that the phrase was only about maintaining friendship with Cunha, and not any offense.
Temer has continued to respond to lawsuits, but he was never convicted and remains free. Several cases related to the former president have been archived, including the case that led to his arrest.