Brazil Ex-Leader Gets Nearly 9 Years In Jail For Corruption
-
Loading... - Dalila Kettani
- 01 Jun 2023
- 62 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
Former president Fernando Collor de Mello of Brazil has been handed an eight-year and ten-month prison sentence by the country's Supreme Court due to his involvement in corruption. This decision is a direct consequence of Brazil's extensive Car Wash graft investigation.
The Supreme Court found Collor guilty of accepting 20 million reais ($4 million) in bribes during his tenure as a senator from 2010 to 2014. In return for these bribes, Collor facilitated contracts between a construction company and a subsidiary of the state-run oil company, Petrobras.
Collor, aged 73, served as Brazil's president from 1990 to 1992 and was already a discredited figure in Brazilian politics. As the first democratically elected president after the military dictatorship from 1964 to 1985, he resigned from office to avoid impeachment due to previous corruption allegations.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court justices, with an eight-to-two majority, had already found Collor guilty of corruption and money laundering in the Petrobras case. The lead judge in the case, Edson Fachin, had initially recommended a sentence of 33 years.
Fachin emphasized the gravity of the trial's facts, stating that they reveal the "extremely serious" misuse of public positions for personal gain. He also stated that Collor used his political influence to secure appointments to the board of directors of Petrobras subsidiary Distribuidora and to facilitate contract arrangements.
The money laundering occurred through more than 40 deposits in accounts under Collor's name and in 65 accounts belonging to companies owned by him. Despite the accusations, Collor's defense team denies his involvement in the crimes.
Collor's political career had a significant rise and fall. He achieved a resounding victory in the 1989 elections at the young age of 40, defeating Brazil's current president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Collor presented himself as a nonconformist and jovial figure, promising to tackle the issue of high-salaried public officials' absenteeism. With his successful athletic background as a former national karate champion, Collor leveraged his image as a triumphant sportsman.
However, within just two years of assuming power, public discontent reached its peak, leading to mass protests demanding Collor's resignation. The Congress initiated impeachment proceedings against him following allegations of corruption.
The Car Wash investigation also resulted in the conviction of Lula, preventing him from participating in the 2018 election and sentencing him to a year and a half in prison. Nonetheless, Lula's conviction was later overturned, allowing the leftist leader to run in and win the presidential contest held last year.
The task force responsible for the extensive investigation, which focused on bribery cases involving Petrobras and Brazil's political elite, was established in 2014 and officially disbanded in 2021.
