Martha Araujo Hager

mbattier@diazreus.comAttorneys United States Top ru

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Martha Araujo Hager

Of Counsel

Miami Tower at International Place 100 S.E. Second Street, Suite 3400 - Miami, Florida 33131

mhager@diazreus.com

+1 (305) 375 92 20

Biography


Martha is an international lawyer licensed to practice in Florida, New York and Brazil. She was born in Brazil to a family of attorneys and distinguished judges. Her career started as a fulltime clerk at the highest Criminal Court of Appeals in São Paulo, Brazil, while attending the Brazilian five-year law school program. Upon earning her first law degree, Martha passed the Brazilian bar exam on first attempt and subsequently, the prestigious exam to be a prosecutor for the State of São Paulo (Ministério Público de São Paulo).

In Brazil, Martha successfully tried over 30 cases before the jury in addition to trying civil and criminal cases through the traditional Brazilian system of bench trials.

In the U.S., Martha’s practice focuses on white collar cases often involving multiple international jurisdictions and advises clients in parallel U.S. and Brazilian proceedings. Her law firm experience in the U.S. includes international arbitration and litigation; applications for assistance to foreign and international tribunals and to litigants under 28 U.S. Code § 1782; conducting legal research, drafting Answers, Complaints, motions and memoranda, discovery requests and responses. In her previous role as an associate attorney, Martha assisted senior attorneys in preparation for hearings, mediations, arbitration, meetings and negotiations with the Department of Justice, the FBI and Secret Service.

Martha has 30 years of experience in white collar, fraud and corruption: (a) for a decade in Brazil, as a civil and criminal state prosecutor; (b) at the United Nations; (c) at the World Bank Group; and (d) at the International Monetary Fund.

Martha is an active member of the American Bar Association, International Criminal Law Committee, where she contributes to resolutions seeking international criminal accountability of certain entities and individuals for the atrocities committed in Ethiopia since 2020.

Martha is fluent in Portuguese and English and a stubborn lifelong student of Spanish and French.

Education


  • The University of Miami School of Law, Coral Gables, Florida
    • JD – Juris Doctor, 2022 (with honors)
    • L.M., Master of Laws in Transnational Law, 2022
    • Recipient of the Francisco Garcia-Amador Scholarship
  • Southern Methodist University School of Law, Dallas, Texas
    • Master of Laws in Comparative and International Law, 2005
    • L.M., Master of Laws in Comparative and International Law
  • Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, Faculdade de Direito, São Paulo, Brazil
    • Bachelor of Laws, 1992 (equivalent to the S. Juris Doctorate, J.D.)
  • American University Washington College of Law, Washington D.C., 2024
    • S. and International Anti-Corruption Law Program
    • Stolen Assets Recovery Law and Practice Certificate

Admissions


  • Florida
  • United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
  • New York
  • Brazil

Professional Leadership


  • American Bar Association, International Criminal Law Committee
  • Brazilian Bar Association, Secção São Paulo
  • Florida Bar Association

Representative Cases


Successfully led a complex international investigation in preparation for sanctions proceedings and debarment byan international financial organization, in a high-profile case of fraud and corruption in a billion-dollar project in Latin America (formacao de carteis e fraude em licitacoes). The fraud involved cartels of European and Asian suppliers of trains and Brazilian construction corporations that controlled a bid-rigging system for the award of public contracts for the expansion of the Brazilian railroad system. The cartels had operated under the radar for 20 years thanks to millions of dollars in kickbacks paid to Brazilian government Martha led the investigation in this high-profile case and advised the financial organization as to the applicable sanctions, while working collaboratively with Brazilian and European prosecutors in parallel criminal proceedings.
On behalf of a large international organization, successfully investigated fraud and corruption in connection withthe reconstruction of the single hospital available to women and girls in Afghanistan. As a result of recommendations made in a final report of investigations, the organization was able to (a) cancel major multi-million-dollar contracts with individuals and entities responsible for the fraud and corruption; (b) block their participation in future contracts with the organization and (b) implement best practices in public procurement to prevent fraud in the future.
Investigated money laundering and fraud perpetrated by a senior official of an international organization with ramifications throughout Latin America and the organization’s office in two European countries. The investigation led to the enhancement of corporate governance and compliance related to the financial regulatory framework of the organization’s country office and corporate partners, in addition to the recovery offunds and assets of the
In Brazil, Martha successfully tried a high-profile environmental case in connection with soil contamination bymethane gas and other 50 poisonous types of The case, known as “Caso do Condominio Barao de Maua,” involved a condominium complex in a densely populated urban area, with 11 high-rise residential towers, residence of hundreds of families. Martha coordinated technical and medical teams of experts to evaluate the land contamination and how it affected the health of residents. The technical evaluation proved that the construction of the entire condominium of residential towers should not have been authorized by local authorities because the entire property acreage had served as industrial waste landfill for the largest Brazilian car batteries manufacturer.