Inspector Artur Gomes da Silva Neto and the letter allegedly written by him and which was attached to the request for preventive detention from the Public Ministry of SP (MP-SP). Montage/g1/Reproduction/TV Globo The São Paulo Court once again ordered the arrest of tax auditor Artur Gomes da Silva Neto, identified by investigations as the leader of a corruption scheme at the São Paulo State Finance and Planning Secretariat (Sefaz-SP) that allegedly generated more than R$1 billion in ICMS credits. The new preventive detention was decreed by judge Guilherme Eduardo Martins Kellner, from the 1st Court of Tax Crimes, Criminal Organization and Laundering of Goods and Valuables of the Capital, on June 3, the same day that the decision was made to release the accused, using an electronic ankle bracelet, decreed by judge Thiago Baldani Gomes de Filippo, who works in the same court. In the sentence, the judge stated that the accused "played a central role in a criminal group focused on committing crimes involving the movement of significant amounts of money" in São Paulo. According to the judge, "it is a complex organization, with ease for reinserting members into illicit activities." The decision also highlights the existence of a concrete risk of destruction of evidence and communication between group members. "Thus, precautionary custody is also necessary to prevent the criminal practice and prevent new similar criminal conduct from occurring", wrote the judge. Also according to the decision, preventive detention is necessary to guarantee criminal investigation, ensure the participation of those investigated in procedural acts, protect witnesses and victims and preserve the evidence that will still be produced during the judicial phase. The judge also highlighted that part of the amounts considered illicit would still be in the possession of the criminal organization, a circumstance that could favor the eventual escape of those under investigation and compromise the application of criminal law. Auditor would be the 'public core' of the scheme The court decision also mentions that Artur was appointed commander of what investigations classify as the biggest corruption scheme in the history of Sefaz-SP. He has already been denounced in cases involving the companies Fast Shop, Ultrafarma and Rede 28, in addition to being the target of other ongoing investigations. According to investigators, the auditor used his functional position to obtain undue advantages from taxpayers. In the decision to re-arrest, the judge states that Artur Gomes da Silva Neto would be the "public core" of the criminal organization. According to investigations, the auditor had accepted the promise of undue advantage to perform official acts contrary to his functional duty. The document points out that he personally made six administrative decisions that granted reimbursement requests presented by three branches of the company Autostar. Still according to the investigation, the auditor inspected the six invoices resulting from these decisions, manually certified the certified copies of the orders and informed the taxpayer of the amounts that would be reimbursed.