Brazil’s Petrobras Scandal: Prosecutors Target Former President Lula, Ask Supreme Court For Authorization
Angelo Young
Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva gestures as he
attends a "Democracy and social justice" seminar in Sao Paulo, Brazil,
April 25, 2016. Photo: REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker
Brazil’s Supreme Court said Tuesday the
country’s top prosecutor is seeking permission to investigate former
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for alleged connections to political
corruption at Petrobras, the state-owned oil company that has long been
a key funder of government policies.
Attorney General Rodrigo Janot is also seeking
the court’s permission to probe Political Affairs Minister Ricardo
Berzoini, Social Communications Minister Edinho Silva and President
Dilma Rousseff’s office manager, Jaques Wagner, the Associated Press reported.
The news comes a day after Janot asked the
court to open a case against opposition Sen. Aecio Neves, who narrowly
lost to Rousseff in the country’s 2014 presidential election, as well
another lawmaker from Rousseff’s ruling Workers Party (known by its
local acronym PT) and an administrative judge.
A little over a year into her second term,
Rousseff is fighting increasing calls for her impeachment over a
sprawling scandal involving Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (commonly called
Petrobras), one of Latin America’s largest companies that’s closely held
by the Brazilian government.
The company has been embroiled in a massive
scandal in which company officials and politicians overcharged for
projects and then laundering and pocketing the proceeds. Many
politicians either in the PT or previously aligned to it are believed to
have taken hush money or used illicit funds for their campaigns.
Lula was president during much of the
time the alleged corruption took place. Rousseff was his energy minister
and head of the company during his administration. In March Rousseff
tried to shield Lula from prosecution by naming him her chief of staff. A
judge intervened to block the appointment.
Under Brazilian law, Cabinet ministers can be
tried only in a special forum of the Supreme Court. Many of the Supreme
Court justices were appointed by Lula or Rousseff.
Rousseff is not being investigated for taking
bribes, but she’s awaiting a Senate impeachment vote linked to charges
she broke budgetary laws.
Post a Comment