Brazil’s top prosecutor has asked the country’s Supreme Court to open 83 more investigations into politicians in connection to the Petrobras scandal [JURIST news archive]. The list of names has sent to the court not been released [BBC report]. However, anonymous reports made to Brazilian media claim that the list includes [AFP report], among others, at least five members of President Michel Temer’s cabinet, as well as his predecessors, Dilma Rousseff and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Under law, Brazilian politicians and lawmakers can only be tried in the country’s highest court. The prosecutor also requested that lower courts open 211 separate investigations as well. Supreme Court Judge Edson Fachin must now make the decision on whether to open the investigations.

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 scandal, and charges have been filed against some of Brazil’s most powerful politicians, including [JURIST report] former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Although not directly related to Petrobras, in August the Brazil Senate voted to convict [JURIST op-ed] Rousseff on allegations that she used improper accounting to cover-up a growing budget deficit and illegal loans from state-owned banks. In November Rousseff’s lawyers filed documents [JURIST report] with the Superior Electoral Court in Brazil alleging that her former vice president and current president Temer took a large bribe.