Federal appeals judge Newton Pereira Ramos Neto, of the TRF-1, the court that reviews federal cases across much of Brazil, voted twice, in January and June 2024, against appeals filed by the federal government and in line with the interests of Banco Master in a lawsuit brought by the Usina Cansanção de Sinimbu sugar mill in Jequiá da Praia, in the state of Alagoas. About six months after the second vote, the judge's wife, lawyer Camilla Rose Ewerton Ferro Ramos, and one of his sons signed a contract with the bank providing success fees of up to R$ 427 million. The finding was reported by the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo on Tuesday (22) and also covered by Folha de S.Paulo.

Both votes came in virtual sessions of the 11th Panel of the TRF-1, each decided unanimously, according to Estadão. In the first, held between January 22 and 26, 2024, the panel accepted the mill's appeal and limited the expert examination used to calculate the compensation owed by the federal government, which had asked for a broader analysis with new documents. In the second, between June 3 and 7, the panel rejected the government's appeals and in practice kept the restriction on the expert review.

The mill is in judicial reorganization, a form of bankruptcy protection in Brazil, and seeks compensation from the federal government for losses it blames on the price control policy of the sugar and ethanol sector. Master joined the case alongside the company and, according to the Federal Police, bought credit rights from mills in reorganization to artificially inflate the bank's liquidity. The bank belongs to businessman Daniel Bueno Vorcaro, whom Folha reports has been jailed during the investigation. The later contract, signed by Camilla and by the judge's son, Gabriel Ribeiro Gonçalves Ramos, provided payment only if all of 12 lawsuits worth a combined R$ 8.5 billion succeeded. They involve "precatórios", court-ordered government debt payments. According to Folha, Camilla and Newton are identified as members of the "Turma do KN", an expression seen as a reference to Supreme Court Justice Kassio Nunes Marques, a friend of the judge for whom Newton once worked as an auxiliary judge.

How the case unfolded

• January 2024: in a virtual session of the TRF-1's 11th Panel, Newton Ramos votes with the majority that accepts the mill's appeal and limits the expert examination.
• June 2024: the panel rejects the federal government's appeals and keeps the restriction.
• About six months later: the judge's wife and son sign the contract worth up to R$ 427 million with Master, later revealed in investigations into the bank.
• September 22, 2026: Estadão reports the link between the votes and the contract, and a lawyer files a disciplinary complaint against the judge with the CNJ.

The judge's defense

Contacted by Estadão, Newton Ramos said the ruling was not handled in isolation. "It was judged as a block, in a virtual session with approximately 300 cases", the judge said, adding in the same statement:

"At the time, there was no indication in the case file of any interest by Banco Master, which joined the case only after the ruling, and since then the legal impediment has been duly recorded."

Lawyer Camilla Ramos had not responded by the time the Estadão report was published. Folha said it contacted the TRF-1 press office and Camilla's law firm on Tuesday, with no reply by the time of this article.

On Tuesday, lawyer Alex Ferreira Borralho filed a disciplinary complaint with the National Council of Justice (CNJ), the body that polices judges in Brazil, asking that the judge's conduct be investigated. "It is important to determine whether there was a functional compromise in the conduct of the respondent (Newton Ramos) for the benefit of a third party (Daniel Bueno Vorcaro) and of his wife, with contours of profound dimensions that highlight economic and financial relationships and private interests aimed at him and at Banco Master", Borralho wrote in the filing.

The CNJ must now examine the complaint and decide whether to open disciplinary proceedings against the judge. No deadline has been announced, and the court and Camilla's firm may still comment on the new information. No formal accusation has been brought against Newton Ramos so far, and he currently answers only the disciplinary complaint.