The United States government cited the decision by Minister Dias Toffoli of the Supreme Federal Court, which annulled all evidence from the Odebrecht leniency agreement, as one of the reasons for imposing a 25% tariff on various Brazilian products
According to an official document from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), Brazil “failed and continues to fail” in the fight against corruption.
Toffoli’s decision, made in September 2023, was highlighted as an example of this failure, as it invalidated evidence from one of the largest transnational corruption schemes in history and resulted in the annulment of more than a hundred cases in the country.
The American text also mentions another measure by Toffoli, from 2024, which suspended the payment of fines by Odebrecht, and criticizes the lack of transparency in the renegotiation of these leniency agreements, concluded in 2025. Reports from the OECD, the Organization of American States, and Transparency International are used to reinforce the argument that Brazil weakens the fight against corruption, which harms honest American companies compared to Brazilian companies that operate with impunity.
In addition to corruption, the American investigation, based on Section 301, lists other complaints against Brazil, such as tariffs considered unfair, the Pix system (which American credit card companies see as favored), illegal deforestation, digital commerce rules, and barriers to ethanol.
The 25% tariff is presented as a way to correct these practices which, in Washington’s view, harm US trade.
To date, Minister Toffoli has not commented on the criticisms made by the Donald Trump administration.
Published in 06/03/2026 20h11
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.
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