Attorney general: proposed Brazilian legislation absolves corrupt politicians News
Attorney general: proposed Brazilian legislation absolves corrupt politicians

[JURIST] Brazil’s Attorney General Rodrigo Janot [official website] on Friday warned that politicians involved in the Petrobras graft [JURIST news archive], the nation’s largest-ever corruption scandal, are seeking to pass new legislation absolving themselves of punishment for any crimes. The investigation into Petrobras [corporate website], a state-run oil company, began in 2014 under the name Operation Car Wash [Rio Times report], and has thus far resulted in charges filed against almost 250 people. The legislature is now introducing measures aimed at protecting politicians from prosecution, measures that prosecutors say could ruin their entire investigation. Nevertheless, Janot remains optimistic that the Supreme Court of Brazil [official website] would strike down any measures aimed at circumventing the investigation, one that Janot says the Brazilian people largely support.

Brazil’s political establishment has been in turmoil as many powerful politicians have been brought to the center of embarrassing corruption investigation and trials. More than 100 individuals and 50 politicians have been arrested in connection to the Petrobras scandal, and charges have been filed against some of Brazil’s most powerful politicians, including [JURIST report] former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Although not directly related to Petrobras, in August the Brazil Senate voted to convict Rousseff [JURIST op-ed] on allegations that she used improper accounting to cover-up a growing budget deficit and illegal loans from state-owned banks. Last month, Rousseff’s lawyers filed documents [JURIST report] with the Superior Electoral Court in Brazil alleging that her former vice president and current President Michel Temer took a large bribe.

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