More legal woes for Petrobras, Odebrecht

BRASILIA, March 14, 2016 – Petrobras and construction conglomerate Odebrecht face more than USD 2 billion in damages, Brazilian prosecutors announced on Sunday. Company executives are accused of having offered bribes in return for contracts as part of Operation Car Wash, an investigation into a far-reaching corruption scheme that recently also implicated former President Luíz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The announcement came amidst the largest-ever protests staged in Brazil that saw as many as 1.4 million people in São Paulo alone demand the removal of President Dilma Rousseff. Police estimates say about 3 million Brazilians took part in the nationwide protests on Sunday, with large gatherings reported in Manaus and Brasilia.

On March 8, Marcelo Bahia Odebrecht was sentenced to 19 years imprisonment. Four other company executives were slapped will similar sentences. The same verdict also put three Petrobras executives behind bars. The following day, charges were brought against the former president.

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