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Brazil’s former Finance Minister arrested on Petrobras-related corruption charge

Brazil’s former Finance Minister has become the latest big fish caught in the net of the Petrobras corruption probe after being arrested on Thursday, according to Bloomberg.

Guido Mantega was released the same day because Judge Sergio Moro, who is leading the prosecution of so-called Operation Car Wash cases, believes Mantega will not interfere with the investigation.

Mantega, who served as Finance Minister from 2006 to 2015, was arrested on the basis of allegations by Eike Batista, a former billionaire who made and lost a fortune in mining and gas.

Batista claims that in 2012 Mantega, who was chairman of state oil firm Petrobras at the time, asked for a $2.35m bribe to be paid to a marketing firm linked to the country’s ruling Workers Party in return for contracts with Petrobras.

Bribes for inflated contracts are at the crux of the Petrobras graft scheme.

Mantega’s arrest and release came just two days after Moro confirmed that former national president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva would face trial on Petrobras-related corruption charges of his own.

Donal Scully

With 28 years experience writing and editing for newspapers in the UK and Hong Kong, Donal is now based in California from where he covers the Americas for Splash as well as ensuring the site is loaded through the Western Hemisphere timezone.
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