Brazil’s Supreme Court announced [Política report, in Portuguese] on Tuesday that it had accepted a plea agreement [text, PDF, in Portuguese] offered by prosecutors in a case against Senator Delcídio do Amaral for his alleged involvement in a recent corruption scandal. Amaral was arrested in November for attempting to bribe a former Petrobras executive for his silence in an ongoing investigation. The plea agreement is the result of Amaral’s cooperation with authorities with the aim of seeking leniency. Testimony offered by Amaral, previously a top ruling Workers’ Party senator, claimed [WSJ report] that President Dilma Rousseff “had knowledge of wrongdoing at state oil company Petróleo Brasileiro S.A., or Petrobras” that included details of purchasing a Texas oil refinery “used to generate millions of dollars of brides.” This is the first time the president has been directly linked to the Petrobras scandal. In Operation Car Wash [AP report], the current Petrobras corruption probe, prosecutors that suppliers and politicians colluded to siphon billions from Petrobras to bankroll President Rousseff’s Workers’ Party and its allies in Congress.

More than 100 individuals and 50 politicians have been arrested in connection to the Petrobras scandal, including former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva who was charged [JURIST report] earlier this month in connection with money laundering and misrepresentation of assets involving a giant graft scheme at Petrobras. Also this month, Brazil’s Supreme Court unanimously agreed [JURIST report] that corruption charges against Congressman Eduardo Cunha can move forward. The Petrobras scandal has accelerated against President Dilma Rousseff who in December [JURIST report] saw rejuvenated impeachment efforts [JURIST report].