Two ex-Brazilian presidents charged in fraud scheme

Two former Brazilian presidents have been formally charged with obtaining illegal money in a large-scale probe into the affairs of Brazil’s state oil company, Petrobras.

Brazil’s Attorney General Rodrigo Janot pressed formal charges against former presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff on Tuesday.

The two former president and a number of other members of their administrations or political party faced formal fraud charges filed with the Supreme Federal Tribunal alleging that they orchestrated the receipt of nearly $480 million in bribes from 2002 to 2016 through their control over state institutions.

Lula da Silva aims to return to the political scene but both he and Rousseff have been politically debilitated in the past as a result of similar scandals, convictions, and — in Rousseff’s case — an impeachment.

According to the new charges, Lula da Silva maintained authority in state affairs and engaged in the fleecing of money even after he was replaced by Rousseff due to his influence over her.

Following Rousseff’s ouster from office and the rise of current President Michel Temer to power, the attorney general added, members of his party in Congress then took over the leadership role in the corruption scheme.

The indictment said that members of two other Brazilian parties — Temer’s Brazilian Democratic Movement Party and the Progressive Party — had been involved in the criminal activities, too.

SS