Brazil's former President Lula da Silva in money laundering probe

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Brazil's former President Lula da Silva in money laundering probe



SAO PAULO: -- Charges have been filed against former Brazilian President Lula da Silva in a money laundering investigation after being detained and questioned in a separate federal corruption probe by police last week.

The charges have not been specified but they are said to be linked to an undeclared beach front apartment said to be owned by Lula and his wife
in the exclusive resort of Guaruja.

Lula has denied ownership and says the allegations are politically motivated.

The pent house was built by construction firm OAS, one of the conglomerates caught up in the major corruption scandal involving the state owned oil company Petrobras.

OAS has been accused of paying bribes to politicians and senior Petrobras officials to secure lucrative contracts.

That investigation has become the biggest in Brazil’s history. It initially focused on corruption and money laundering at the oil company but has since widened to include construction and brokerage firms. Many senior members of Lula’s left-leaning Workers Party have also become embroiled.

Lula was Brazil’s president from 2003 to 2011 and was succeeded in office by his political protege, Dilma Rousseff, who joined hundreds of people showing support for the former president last Saturday.


-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-03-10