On November 15, 2022, just over two weeks after Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won Brazil’s presidential election, Seripieri flew the president-elect aboard his private Gulfstream G600 jet to the COP27 Climate Summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. The trip generated widespread media coverage both in Brazil and internationally and placed the businessman back in the public spotlight. (The Guardian)
A little more than a year after the Egypt trip, on December 22, 2023, Reuters reported that UnitedHealth Group had agreed to sell its Brazilian subsidiary, Amil, to Seripieri. One week later, on December 29, 2023, UnitedHealth officially confirmed the transaction. The acquisition subsequently received the required regulatory clearances in Brazil, including approval from CADE. (UOL Economia)
Now, Seripieri has reportedly reemerged at the center of another major transaction involving Amil. According to recent market reports, Boston-based private equity firm Bain Capital is evaluating the acquisition of a significant stake in the company in a deal reportedly valued at approximately $4 billion. If completed shortly before Brazil’s presidential election, the transaction would inject substantial capital into one of President Lula’s closest business allies.
Critics argue that the sequence of events—from the Egypt trip, to the acquisition of Amil from UnitedHealth, to the subsequent strengthening of Seripieri’s position in Brazil’s private healthcare sector—raises questions that deserve closer scrutiny. They also note that the latest negotiations would involve a company that, until recently, had been reporting substantial financial losses.
