A Brazilian businessman, Guilherme Moreira, was taken aback when he discovered an unexpected windfall of R$18,666,000 (£2,613,000) in his bank account due to a system glitch at Banco Safra in 2019. While some customers promptly returned the funds, Moreira took a different approach.
Instead of returning the money immediately, Moreira engaged in formal discussions with the bank and made transfers to his father, his company account, a supplier, and purchased a new Porsche. The bank tried to recover the funds and filed a police report against Moreira, resulting in the seizure of the luxury car.
Despite accusations of exploiting the situation, Moreira’s lawyer defended him, stating that he had notified the bank about the error and attempted to negotiate the return of the funds. The bank’s refusal to cooperate led Moreira to file a lawsuit for damages.
Brazilian law does not support the notion of ‘finders keepers,’ and misappropriating mistakenly transferred funds is considered a criminal offense. In a recent development in 2023, the court ordered the bank to return the Porsche to Moreira, and most of the money has been repaid.
Moreira’s lawyer emphasized that no civil crime was committed, refuting claims of money laundering, attributing the entire situation to the bank’s mistake.