Former president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva [BBC profile], on Thursday denounced charges filed against him in a corruption scandal [BBC backgrounder] involving more than 50 of the country’s politicians. The charges [WSJ report], including corruption and money laundering, were filed on Wednesday. The former president speculated that the charges may be a method used by prosecutors to tarnish the 13-year reign of his political party, the Worker’s Party. Brazilian authorities allege that da Silva and his wife orchestrated a ring of criminal activity, which benefited the couple through power and money. Authorities are investigating $6.2 billion worth of illegal contracting between da Silva and oil company, Petróleo Brasileiro [website]. For now, the charges only center on the money da Silva and his wife allegedly used for personal expenses.

More than 100 individuals and 50 politicians have been arrested in connection to the Petrobras scandal that continues to plague the country as it prepares for the upcoming summer Olympics. In July da Silva filed [JURIST report] a petition with the UN Human Rights Committee, claiming that his corruption investigation has been riddled with impartiality and abuse of power by the judge. In May Brazil’s Supreme court suspended [JURIST report] lower house speaker Eduardo Cunha after being suspected of obstructing investigations into his allegedly corrupt activities. Also in May local media in Brazil reported [JURIST report] that the country’s top prosecutors had requested an investigation into sitting-President Dilma Rousseff over alleged connections to the Petrobras corruption scandal. In April the Supreme Federal Court in Brazil ordered [JURIST report] the legislature to commence impeachment proceedings against Vice President Michel Temer.