Brazil's ex-president Lula to be tried for corruption

Date:

9/20/2016

Time:

14:31:31

Source:

BBC News

Content:

Brazils former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will stand trial on corruption and money laundering charges over an alleged scheme at the state oil company, Petrobras, a judge has said. Prosecutors say he accepted 3.7m reais ($1.11m; £867,000) in bribes connected to the scheme. Lula had already been charged in August with obstructing investigations into Petrobras. He denies any wrongdoing and says the accusations are politically motivated. Lula, who served as president between 2003 and 2011, was one of Brazils most popular leaders and is seen as a possible candidate for the 2018 presidential elections. However, the popularity of his Workers Party plummeted this year and his chosen successor Dilma Rousseff was impeached last month. Judge Sergio Moro, who is overseeing Operation Car Wash, the investigation into corruption allegations at Petrobras, said there was "sufficient evidence of [Lulas] responsibility". The money that Lula allegedly received was laundered through the purchase of a beach apartment, prosecutors say. The corruption case is estimated to have cost the company more than $2bn (£1.5bn).

Orignial Link :

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-37425979

crawlTime:

9/20/2016 2:42:30 PM