The Federal Police of Brazil [official website, in Portuguese] on Wednesday arrested former House speaker Eduardo Cunha for his alleged participation in an embezzlement scheme. Cunha, who is most known for leading the impeachment of former president Dilma Rousseff [BBC profile], was held [G1 report, in Portuguese] indefinitely over fears that he could not only obstruct the ongoing investigation but also flee the country due to his overseas connections and dual citizenship. Cunha was arrested in connection with operation Lava Jato [Rio Times backgrounder], in which politicians and businessmen allegedly engaged in corrupt practices in order to assist the local oil company Petrobras[corporate website].

Brazil’s federal prosecutors filed [JURIST report] new corruption charges against former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva last week. The Federal Police of Brazil in September arrested [JURIST report] former finance minister Antonio Palocci in connection with an ongoing corruption probe. The Brazil Supreme Court approved [JURIST report] a motion by prosecutors to open a preliminary investigation into accusations from Sergio Machado, former Transpetro head, that president Michel Temer sought illegal campaign donations in 2012