Brazilian Ex-President Collor Now Defendant in Petrobras Graft Probe

08/23/2017 - 12h12

Brazil's Supreme Court accepted on Tuesday (22) corruption charges against former president and current senator Fernando Collor.

Now, Collor is a defendant in the "Car Wash" (Lava Jato) investigation.

Justice Edson Fachin, rapporteur in the proceedings, voted to accept the charges of passive corruption, criminal organization and money laundering.

His vote was followed by the votes of justices Gilmar Mendes, Dias Toffoli, Ricardo Lewandowski and Celso de Mello.

Collor is the third senator to become a defendant in the "Car Wash" investigation.

Gleisi Hoffmann (PT-PR) and Valdir Raupp (PMDB-RO) are also defendants in a criminal action resulted from investigations involving the state oil company Petrobras.

The former-president is investigated in other five "Car Wash" inquiries in the Supreme Court.

Other defendants now include Pedro Paulo Bergamaschi Leoni Ramos, indicated as Collor's operator, and Luis Pereira Amorim, who managed the senator's companies.

The group is accused of receiving more than R$ 29 million (US$ 9.1 million) in bribes related to gas station agreements executed between the companies BR Distribuidora and DVBR.

The STF rejected two other accusations against Collor and criticized the number of crimes filed by the prosecution.

The Prosecutor General's Office considered each act of money laudering a crime. In Collor's case, there were 30 claims of passive corruption, 376 of money laudering and 48 of embezzlement.

Translated by ANA BEATRIZ DEMARIA

Read the article in the original language

	Renato Costa/Folhapres
	Former president and current senator Fernando Collor