AGU requests investigation into suspected dollar profiteering after Trump's tariff

The Attorney General's Office (AGU) will request an investigation to determine possible irregular financial transactions in Brazil involving the use of privileged information, related to the announcement of a 50% tax on Brazilian imports made by the President of the United States, Donald Trump.

The request was announced this Saturday (19) by the chief minister of the AGU, Jorge Messias, through the social network X. According to him, the actions of investors in the Brazilian exchange market before and after the announcement by the American government need to be investigated by the competent authorities.

The AGU's initiative comes after a report on TV Globo's Jornal Nacional, broadcast on Friday (18), revealed that there were large-scale purchases of dollars in Brazil just hours before the official announcement of the new tariff. Shortly after the announcement, a large volume of dollars was sold, raising suspicions that investors may have benefited from advance information to profit in the market.

These movements indicate a possible case of insider trading , a practice considered criminal because it allows unfair advantage based on non-public data.

Spencer Hakimian, founder of Tolou Capital Management , was one of the first to identify and expose the evidence on social media. He claims there was a "HUGE" purchase of dollars and a short sale of reais around 1:32 PM (New York time), about three hours before the official announcement of the tariff. According to him, the operation was closed immediately after the announcement, with an estimated profit of between 25% and 50%.

"The news about the tariff was released earlier in Brazil," Hakimian wrote. "Someone clearly got ahead of the market with inside information."

Now, the case can be investigated by bodies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM), the Central Bank and the Federal Public Ministry, if the misuse of sensitive information is proven.