Conafer is one of the entities investigated by the PF for improper discounts in INSS pensions; It is chaired by Carlos Roberto Ferreira Lopes, businessman owner of a cattle company
Reporting through the portal Intercept Brazil On Friday (25.abr.2025) shows that one of the entities involved in the (National Institute of Social Security) is an indigenous NGO led by a rancher.
The leader of the organization, according to the site, would be the businessman from Minas Gerais Carlos Roberto Ferreira Lopes. He owns Cattle Company Vet and Holding Farmlands, which is in the United States. The child manages a mining company in Minas Gerais, Lagoa Alta.
Carlos Lopes chairs (National Confederation of Family Farmers and Family Entrepreneurs in Brazil). The Confederation in 2011 “From the need for family farmers in Brazil to have a self -employed voice in decisions regarding the agricultural sector in the country”.
The entity is one of those involved in an INDEVATION DISCOUNTS Scheme in INSS retirement and pensions investigated by the Federal Police. The organization would act as a “ponte” To help farmers have access to social security benefits.
With the agreement, “They could discount values directly from the benefits of retirees and pensioners under the pretext of offering services such as legal and dental assistance”according to the Intercept Brazil.
The entity, according to the report, is allowed by the federal government to carry out actions within the territories, as “A kind of advice to the indigenous” get the benefit of the INSS.
Conafer’s performance in indigenous communities intensified from 2018. The entity sponsors assemblies, deliveries of basic baskets, organizes football tournaments and promotes social security joint efforts.
According to leaders heard by the report, Conofer access is facilitated by financial incentives. “Their modus operandi is to offer leased truck and salary for leaders”said a chief who preferred not to identify himself.
The Minas Gerais businessman presents himself as the son of indigenous people, but has no connections with the APIB (articulation of the indigenous peoples of Brazil). In public events, it usually appears with indigenous props.
Lopes is also close to the senator (PSB-RR), who had in his underwear in 2020 by the Federal Police. The businessman participated in the launch of the Mixed Parliamentary Front in Defense of Rural Entrepreneurship, in the Noble Hall of the Chamber, of which the congressman is vice president, in April 2024.
Partnership with INSS
Since 2021, Conofer has maintained an agreement with the INSS that allows the direct discount of associative tuition in the benefits of retirees and pensioners. The agreement was signed in the Bolsonaro government, but began to be negotiated in the management of (MDB).
A part of the entity’s resources originate in the discounts applied to the retirement of its members. According to the report, Conofer raised R $ 202.3 million from amounts deducted from the retirement paid by the INSS in 2023 alone.
The PF operation, with the support of the Comptroller General of the Union, led to the removal of 6 INSS servers, including the president of the body, Alessandro Stefanutto. Operation Mira 11 Entities, Confer. The estimated loss to beneficiaries reaches R $ 6.5 billion, from 2019 and 2024.
Otherwise
In a note, Lopes said the INSS revenue represents “just” 11% of the entity’s total and that “It observes the unfolding of the inquiry with serenity, trusting in the judiciary”.
O Poder360 He sought the advisory of Senator Chico Rodrigues to ask if he would like to speak up and what his connection with Lopes would be. There was no answer until the publication of this report. The text will be updated if a demonstration is sent to this digital newspaper.
Here’s the Confer note, signed by Lopes, in full:
“The National Confederation of Family Farmers and Rural Family Entrepreneurs (Conofer), founded in 2011, arose from the need for family farmers in Brazil to have an autonomous representation in agricultural sector decisions. With 8 million members, Conofer acts as a class entity, led by Carlos Lopes, who, from the beginning, has been dedicated to the development of agribusiness, without their personal activities as their personal activities as their personal activities as their personal activities as their personal activities as their personal activities as their personal activities as their personal activities as their personal activities as rancher and producer interfere with the entity’s operations.
“Currently, Conofer serves 4,500 municipalities, promoting entrepreneurship among small producers with their own resources, without the need for agreements with the state.
“The entity is also committed to the defense of the indigenous cause, working to value all ethnicities in their initiatives. An example of this is the Jaguar Indigenous Arts, which aims to highlight and expose pieces made in villages, promoting transparency and economic development for indigenous peoples, with the objective of achieving visibility in capital around the world.
“Regarding recent issues involving the presidency of the INSS, Confa Bserves the unfolding of the inquiry serenity, relying on the judiciary. It is important to emphasize that INSS revenue represents only 11% of the entity’s total. Conafer remains aware of the challenges of family farming, seeking improvements in the sector and emphasizing unity in the struggle for the rights we represent, recognizing our diversity.”
