# Global Legal Action Targets JBS and Financial Enablers Over Amazon Deforestation A coalition filed fourteen money laundering complaints across Europe against JBS and its financiers. - **Source:** [The Irish Times – News](https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland) - **Published:** 2026-11-06 - **Topic:** [Finance](https://brifing.si/c/finance) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/f476df29-3c92-4829-a7b0-5492d362352c ## Coordinated Legal Offensive Launched The Transnational Legal Coalition filed fourteen simultaneous complaints in Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK on November 5. These actions target JBS, the world's largest meat producer, and its financial partners. The coalition argues that profits derived from cattle raised on illegally deforested Amazon land constitute criminal proceeds. ## Money Laundering Allegations Detailed Legal groups contend that managing assets or investments linked to JBS beef violates EU anti-money laundering legislation. The complaints assert that processing beef from illegally cleared farms is not a legitimate business model but a crime. Consequently, financial institutions and advisers face potential legal liability for handling these specific funds. ## Financial Institutions Under Scrutiny The complaints name twelve financial entities, including BlackRock in Dublin and the UK bank Barclays. Barclays is identified as JBS's largest financier, reportedly earning 1.7 billion dollars from the relationship between 2018 and 2023. These institutions are accused of acting as financial enablers for the meat giant's controversial supply chain. ## Evidence of Supply Chain Links The legal action relies on research from AidEnvironment, which links JBS suppliers to 6.5 million hectares of deforestation between 1988 and 2026. Furthermore, an analysis by the Center for Climate Crime Analysis found nearly 8,000 cows from the illegally occupied Apyterewa Indigenous territory entered the JBS supply chain recently. ## Corporate and Regulatory Responses JBS has not responded to the latest complaints but previously maintained a zero-tolerance policy toward illegal deforestation, claiming to have terminated contracts with non-compliant suppliers. BlackRock acknowledged receiving questions but provided no answers. Meanwhile, the Central Bank of Ireland and other national regulators have declined to comment on the filings. ## Indigenous Perspective on Accountability Alcebias Sapara, representing the Coordination of the Indigenous Organisations of the Brazilian Amazon, emphasized that the destruction is an international crime. He stated that justice must be pursued in every country participating in these profits. Indigenous communities have fought against corporate profiteering from forest destruction for several decades now. ## Expanding the Legal Strategy Bláithín Quigley, coordinator for the Transnational Legal Coalition, confirmed this is the first in a series of planned actions. The coalition includes groups like the Global Legal Action Network, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, and Mighty Earth. They aim to hold all financial enablers accountable for environmental crimes. ## Broader Implications for Finance This case tests whether financial institutions can be held liable for the environmental crimes of their clients under existing money laundering laws. If successful, the legal precedent could force banks and asset managers to conduct deeper due diligence on supply chains. The outcome will likely reshape how global capital views deforestation. ## Sources covering this story - [The Irish Times – News — Central Bank Investigates JBS and BlackRock Over Amazon Deforestation Allegations](https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026/11/06/central-bank-asked-to-look-into-jbs-and-blackrock-over-illegal-deforestation/) - [Mongabay — JBS and Barclays Face Money Laundering Complaints Over Amazon Deforestation](https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/11/money-laundering-complaints-target-jbs-barclays-over-profits-linked-to-illegal-deforestation/) --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._