Petrobras Scandal: Judge Condemns Former Executives of Construction Company Camargo Corrêa to Prison

07/21/2015 - 08h55

Sergio Moro, the judge overseeing the Petrobras investigation, condemned former executives of the construction company Camargo Corrêa for crimes of corruption, money laundering and acting in a criminal organization regarding overbilling and payment of bribes to obtain contracts of Petrobras´ refineries works.

This is the first conviction of executives (or former employees) of contractors investigated for corruption at Petrobras. They can appeal from it.

The president of the company, Dalton Avancini, and two other Camargo Corrêa executives -Eduardo Leite and João Auler, all of them condemned- were removed since their arrest in November 2014 and have been laid off recently.

Avancini and Leite did a plea bargain agreement with the prosecutors, a strategy to obtain more lenient sentences. Both are under house arrest. They said that Camargo Corrêa attended a contractors group that used to pay bribes to get contracts with Petrobras.

João Auler, who presided over the construction firm council, declined to cooperate with the Justice and was also dismissed.

According to the sentence, Camargo Corrêa paid a R$ 50 million (US$ 15.6 million) bribe to Petrobras Supply Board concerning just two contracts. The amount is equivalent to 1% of the value of the works, as stated in the sentence.

Paulo Roberto Costa, Petrobras´ former director, Alberto Youssef, a black-market money dealer, and the federal policeman Jayme de Oliveira Filho (who delivered money at the behest of Youssef) were also sentenced.

The former director of Petrobras and the money dealer also have a plea deal.

Translated by DENISE MOTA

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	Beto Barata/Folhapress
	Sergio Moro is the judge overseeing the Petrobras investigation