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Partner
Marcel Ribas
Areas of expertise
Experience
A specialist in complex investigations, corporate governance and compliance, Marcel concentrates his practice on internal investigations and protecting clients against risks linked to corruption, money laundering, international sanctions and fraud.
Marcel is admitted to practice in Brazil and in the United States (New York). He is experienced in advising and defending clients in high-profile cross-border anticorruption cases, and regularly provides companies and management with strategic advice during investigations and their responses to other sensitive issues, such as criminal investigations against employees and third parties, misappropriation of assets, environmental incidents, human rights violations, discrimination, and moral and sexual harassment.
Education
Bachelor of Laws – Faculdade de Direito de Curitiba;
Master of Laws (LL.M.) – Columbia Law School, USA;
Specialization in Corporate Law – Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV).
Recognitions
Chambers Brazil – Compliance (2025 – 2026);
Chambers Global – Compliance (2026);
Latin Lawyer 250 – Anti-Corruption Investigations and Compliance (2024 – 2026);
Lacca Approved – Anti-Corruption Investigations and Compliance (2026);
Legal 500 – Next Generation Partners: Compliance (2023, 2025 – 2026);
Análise Advocacia – Compliance (2022, 2025 – 2026), Trade (2022) and UF: São Paulo (2025 – 2026).
Compliance and Corporate Ethics: the outlook for Brazil in 2026
Subjects:
Compliance in Brazil: a 2025 retrospective
Subjects:
Brazil’s CGU releases new report on penalty calculations in Administrative Accountability Proceedings
Subjects:
Brazil’s CGU and AGU launch public consultation on leniency agreements
Trends and opportunities in compliance: the outlook in Brazil for 2025
Subjects:
Brazil grapples with its organised crime problem
In late August, over 1,400 law enforcement officers from several state and federal agencies participated in a series of raids that Brazilian president Lula da Silva called “the largest response from the Brazilian State to organised crime in our history”.
The raids, named Operation Hidden Carbon, involved enforcement activity across eight Brazilian states aimed at dismantling a suspected $8 billion tax evasion and money laundering scheme benefiting the First Capital Command, known locally as Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), the largest organised crime gang in the country. The operation revealed “the tip of the iceberg” of the gang’s money laundering schemes, the justice minister said on the day of the August raids.
Click here and read the article published in the Global Investigations Review (GIR).
Areas of expertise
ARTICLE: New Technical Cooperation Agreement and the Anti-Corruption Agenda in Brazil
In April 2025, a Technical Cooperation Agreement (ACT) signed between Brazil’s Office of the Comptroller General (CGU), Office of the Attorney General (AGU), and Federal Prosecution Service (MPF) marked an important step forward for Brazil’s anti-corruption framework. The ACT aims to tackle longstanding legal certainty, predictability, and institutional coordination challenges concerning negotiated resolutions of liabilities under the Brazilian Anti-Corruption Law (Law No. 12,846/2013).
Click here and read the article published at The Legal Industry Reviews.
Areas of expertise
ARTICLE: Recent Developments in CGU Guidance: Impacts on Corporate Compliance Programs
Brazil’s Office of the Comptroller‐General (CGU) has historically been the primary regulatory authority shaping the country’s corporate integrity framework. Over the last months, however, it has expedited regulatory changes, introducing a series of initiatives that have collectively redefined the standards for comprehensive compliance programs. A revised conceptual framework for integrity now incorporates sustainability and human rights into the compliance mandate. The 2025-2026 cycle of the Pró-Ética program establishes more stringent criteria for companies seeking public acknowledgment of their integrity initiatives. Updates to the Manual for Evaluating Integrity Programs in Administrative Enforcement Proceedings are expected by July 2025.
Click here and read the article published at the InHouse Brazil 2025 magazine, from The Legal Industry Reviews (page 82).
Areas of expertise
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