Brazilian billionaire and once World’s 7th richest man, Eike Batista was reported to have thrown the sum of 700 thousand Brazilian reais (£130,000) in gold coins into the sea off the coast of Rio de Janeiro’s Ipanema beach. He was said to have been advised by a Brazilian African religious leader on the need for him to appease a water deity, known as Yamanja, the queen of the seas, for his past ‘ungrateful’ actions.
The flamboyant businessman, who recently suffered one of the largest personal and financial collapses in corporate history, performed the rituals in the hope of rebuilding his billion-pound empire.
“He came to me for help and I told him that everything he had taken from the sea has to be returned in some way and this could be done by a ritualistic gesture showing gratitude,” said Ubirajara Pinheiro, a medium and a priest of the Umbanda religion – a syncretic polytheistic belief that draws on African spiritual traditions mixed with elements of Roman Catholicism. “Most of (Eike’s) recent business explorations were connected to the ocean and you cannot remove ore from the earth without thanking and giving back,” warned Pinheiro, who has been a practicing mystic for over 30 years.
“It’s only after we’ve been punished by God do we then see the wrong we have done,” he added. In 2013, Batista lost 99 percent of his estimated net wealth of £25 billion when his six company commodities empire, which included offshore gas and oil exploration, and gold and iron ore mining, busted defaulting on the largest corporate debt in the history of a Latin American company.
But Batista who admitted that he is being highly superstitious and using psychics in the past to guide his businesses, believes he will be able to roll back the tide of misfortune.
Chartering a yacht, he took to sea to perform a ceremony that involved placing the gold coins in a small vessel with flowers, perfume, champagne and a statue of Yemanja. The little boat was then pushed out to sea in the presence of Pinheiro who led prayers, meditation and chanting. Asked if this is an expensive way to make amends, Pinheiro who is based in Rio said: “It is not about the quantity it is a matter of faith. Many years ago when (Eike) visited my house, I warned him what would happen.”
In an interview with Brazilian network RedeTV! in June 2015, Batista revealed he is rebuilding his company and had ‘zeroed his debts. With his recent ceremonial offering, Pinheiro is prophesying Batista’s return to the top will be ‘in only a matter of months.’
The businessman, known for his lavish lifestyle, dropped from number 7 to number 100 on the Forbes Rich List. The father-of-two, who bought his first gold mine at the age of 24, lost a vast chunk of his fortune when his oil conglomerate, OGX Petroleo & Gas Participacoes SA, lost 90 per cent of its value. It left Mr. Batista with an estimated net worth of $200 million when the debts he owed to investors were deducted, according to the Huffington Post, and he was later accused of inside trading. However, the case was suspended after the judge was seen driving one of Mr. Batista’s Porsches. Last year, federal police went to his house, seizing a Lamborghini and six other cars, additional assets and 90,000 reals (£22,000) in cash from the homes of Brazil’s once-richest man.
A Federal Police statement said the assets seized – including computers, cellphones, watches and jewelry – would help guarantee potential compensation if Batista is convicted on charges of insider trading and market manipulation. However, he has still not been prosecuted and during an interview in 2015, he said that he had ‘zeroed’ his debts and was well on the road to rebuilding his company. [myad]
