World · Latin America · 5 hrs ago
Lawyers Accuse JBS and Financiers of Money Laundering Linked to Amazon Deforestation
A coalition filed 14 legal actions in four European jurisdictions against JBS and companies linked to its finances and business.
The lawsuits accuse JBS of profiting from cattle linked to deforested land in the Amazon and nearby ecosystems, in violation of Brazilian law.
JBS is the world’s largest meat company, headquartered in the Netherlands, with major operations in Brazil.
The complaints argue that cattle raised on land cleared illegally could be criminal property, making the alleged profits relevant to money laundering laws.
EU rules require enhanced checks by financial institutions, lawyers and accountants dealing with businesses at high risk of deforestation in their supply chains.
The coalition says banks Barclays and Rabobank, asset manager BlackRock, and accounting firms KPMG and EY failed to carry out those checks; the claims have not been established in court.
The coalition wants regulators to investigate the firms and has also filed a criminal complaint against JBS in the Netherlands; it says further legal efforts will follow.
JBS did not respond to a request for comment, while Barclays said it reviewed the complaint and has conducted enhanced checks for beef clients since 2021.
An international coalition of lawyers and advocacy groups filed 14 legal actions against JBS and its financiers, accusing them of money laundering linked to Amazon deforestation.
The complaints were filed in four European jurisdictions and allege that JBS bought cattle from deforested land in violation of Brazilian law.
The coalition says financial institutions and professional firms failed to carry out required enhanced due diligence on JBS.
A study commissioned by the coalition found JBS was linked to more than 16 million deforested acres through direct and indirect suppliers.
JBS did not respond to a request for comment, while Barclays said it could not comment on the complaint.
- Who
- The Transnational Legal Coalition filed the actions against JBS and affiliated banks, asset managers, accountants and lawyers.
- What
- The coalition accuses them of money laundering and failures to meet due diligence obligations linked to cattle from deforested land.
- When
- Wednesday; the article was published on November 4, 2026.
- Where
- The 14 legal actions were filed in four European jurisdictions. A separate criminal complaint against JBS was filed in the Netherlands.
- Why
- The coalition alleges JBS profited from cattle raised on land likely deforested illegally, and that financial and professional institutions failed to investigate or report the risks.
The Transnational Legal Coalition
Barclays
Alleged due diligence failure
The Transnational Legal Coalition
The coalition says institutions including Barclays were obligated to perform enhanced due diligence but did not.
Barclays
Barclays said it had conducted enhanced due diligence for clients engaged in beef production since 2021.
Response to complaint
The Transnational Legal Coalition
The coalition wants regulators to investigate whether institutions failed to meet their obligations.
Barclays
Barclays said it had reviewed the legal complaint but could not comment.
Barclays said it had conducted enhanced due diligence for clients engaged in beef production since this year.
JBS successfully listed on the New York Stock Exchange after reincorporating in the Netherlands.
The coalition filed 14 legal actions in four European jurisdictions and a criminal complaint against JBS in the Netherlands.
- Legal actions
- 14
- Jurisdictions
- Four European jurisdictions
- Deforested land linked to JBS
- More than 16 million acres, through direct and indirect suppliers
- Institutions named
- Barclays, Rabobank, BlackRock, KPMG and EY
- Barclays due diligence
- Since 2021
What people are saying
If the European enabler complied with its enhanced due diligence obligations, it would have found out about the risk that JBS is engaged in money laundering and would either have stopped working with JBS or reported them to the criminal authorities.
As each of the financial institutions have a long-standing relationship with JBS, they haven’t done that.
What we’re really asking is for the regulators in the U.K., Germany, Netherlands and Ireland to open an investigation into these financial institutions and investigate whether there has been a failure of these due diligence obligations.
It’s really making sure the banks can’t plead ignorance.