The world’s richest banker has been charged with corruption

Brasilia : Joseph Safra, 77, owner of the Safra group, is the latest member of the elite in Brazil to be embroiled in a corruption scandal.

The financier, who owns London’s Gherkin tower, is worth an estimated $18.3 billion, according to Fortune, making him the second richest man in Brazil.

Mr Safra is alleged to have known about plans by his senior employees to bribe tax officials R$15.3m (£2.9 million) in return for reducing taxes owed to the state of Brazil, which are now worth R$1.8bn.

Prosecutors also filed charges against five other people. 

The prosecutors said: “The criminal intentions of the group is made clear by the various conversations and exchanges of messages cited in the indictment,” the media reported.

The charges are reportedly based on recorded telephone conversations between João Inácio Puga, a top executive at the Safra-owned Banco Safra and tax officials.

The Safra Group has denied involvement in corruption. "There have not been any improprieties by any of the businesses of The Safra Group,” said a company statement.

No representative of the group offered any inducement to any public official and the group did not receive any benefit in the judgment of the tribunal.”

Mr Safra, born in Aleppo, Syria, made his money through a lucrative career in finance.  In addition to owning Banco Safra, one of the most well-known private banks in Brazil, his family also own banks in New York and Switzerland.

The charges against him come as part of ‘Operation Zealots‘, a broader investigation into business corruption in Brazil.

Seventy-four companies across various industries and 24 individuals are being investigated. Ford Brazil is reportedly one of the companies involved in the enquiry.

Brazil is still reeling from a corruption scandal into state-run oil company Petrobras and its links with engineering companies.

The allegations against Petrobras stem from when the current Brazilian president, Dilma Rousseff, was Chair of the company, though she has been cleared of wrongdoing.

President Rousseff herself is now facing impeachment over different allegations of corruption and manipulating economic data.