The former chief of staff to Brazil’s ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (known as Lula) was sentenced on Wednesday to more than 23 years in prison for his part in the Petrobras graft scandal.
Jose Dirceu was charged with corruption, money laundering and conspiracy in connection with the Petrobras affair, a monumental web of bribery for inflated contracts surrounding the state oil company.
It has entangled many executives of Petrobras and of contractor firms as well as politicians.
Dirceu, who was accused of masterminding the Petrobras kickback scheme and of taking bribes, served as chief of staff to Lula from 2003 to 2005.
He is the most senior member of the Workers’ Party to be jailed so far and was previously serving an 11-year house arrest term for his role in a cash-for-votes scheme in Congress.
In March Lula was charged with money laundering and misrepresentation regarding some of his personal assets.
Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff – a protégé of Lula and former chairperson of Petrobras – is currently suspended and facing impeachment charges for another matter, allegedly rigging budget figures before her re-election.
