Former Brazilian President Lula charged with money laundering

Brazil has officially filed charges against the country’s former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a money laundering investigation.

State prosecutors in Lula’s home state of Sao Paulo charged the ex-president on Wednesday in connection with a two-year-old federal graft probe.

It revolves around state-oil company Petrobras, which is already at the center of a scandal over its handling of contracts for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The nature of the charges against Lula is still sketchy. However, the former leader is accused of owning an undeclared luxury triplex apartment at a seaside resort in Sao Paulo.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source in the Sao Paulo prosecutor's office said the former president “is accused of hiding property in relation to the triplex in Guaruja.”

State prosecutors said they will provide more details regarding the case on Thursday.

A judge must still formally accept the charges for the case to proceed. Lula has denied any wrongdoing, saying the charges are politically motivated.

The charges come just days after Lula was taken into custody for questioning by police.

On March 4, police said they had evidence that Lula received illicit benefits from a kick-back scheme at Petrobras in the form of payments and luxury real estate.

Supporters and opponents of Lula clashed outside his home on the outskirts of Sao Paulo after he was detained. 

A day later, Lula’s foundation said in a statement that the former president had never committed any illegal acts before, during or after his presidential term.

Lula’s detention is the biggest event so far in an investigation of alleged corruption at Petrobras, known as Operation Car Wash, which has snared lawmakers and some of Brazil’s most powerful business executives.

Lula ran Brazil from 2003 to 2010 and was succeeded in office by Dilma Rousseff.

The implication of Lula in the corruption probe has deepened Brazil’s political crisis and boosted efforts by Rousseff’s opponents to impeach the president and invalidate her 2014 re-election.

Though nobody has yet been convicted, dozens of political figures and former Petrobras executives face allegations of corruption and money laundering under a scheme that saw an estimated USD 3.8 billion creamed off inflated contracts over a decade.

Rousseff, who served as the oil giant’s chairwoman from 2003 to 2010 when much of the alleged graft took place, also denies knowing of or benefiting from the scheme. 

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