Brazil police arrest former Rio governor in corruption probe News
Brazil police arrest former Rio governor in corruption probe

Brazilian Federal Police [official website] in Rio de Janeiro arrested former governor Sérgio Cabral Thursday on allegations of corruption [press release, in Portuguese]. Cabral was governor 2007 to 2014 and was instrumental in bringing the Summer Olympics to Rio be Janeiro, during which it is estimated that 224 million reais, or about $64 million, was siphoned from government funds that had been dedicated to public construction projects. The police claim that there is evidence of public funds being paid as bribes to state officials, as well as instances of corruption, bribery, and money laundering.

Brazil’s government has been wracked with charges of corruption for the past several months. In October the Federal Police arrested former House speaker Eduardo Cunha for his alleged participation in an embezzlement scheme [JURIST report]. Earlier in October Brazil’s federal prosecutors filed [JURIST report] new corruption charges against former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. 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

THIS DAY @ LAW

Laws of Burgos put into effect

The Spanish Crown put the Laws of Burgos into effect on December 27, 1512. These laws governed the relationship of Spanish settlers with the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. The laws established the encomienda system of labor, promoted conversion to Catholicism, and safeguarded the indigenous peoples from physical abuse.  However, historians argue that the laws were ineffective at protecting the rights of the indigenous population. Learn more from the Library of Congress.

Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public bar smashing

On December 27, 1900, militant Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public smashing of a bar, at the Carey Hotel in Wichita, Kansas. Nation argued that destroying bars was an acceptable means of battling the liquor trade since the Kansas Constitution prohibited alcohol. Learn more about Carrie Nation.

World Bank created

On December 27, 1944, the World Bank was created during the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, USA. Learn more about the history of the World Bank.