Brazil hands down first sentences against Petrobras businessmen

[Judi Lynn]

Brazil hands down first sentences against Petrobras businessmen

AFP
July 21, 2015, 6:34 am

Brasília (AFP) - A Brazilian judge on Monday handed down the first sentences against businessmen caught up in a huge corruption scandal centered around state oil company Petrobras.

Judge Sergio Moro sentenced former Camargo Correa construction company CEO Dalton Avancini and another top former executive, Eduardo Leite, to 15 years and 10 months prison.

They had been found guilty on charges including corruption and money laundering linked to a sprawling bribes-and-kickbacks scheme at Petrobras and major Brazilian construction businesses.

Previously, Petrobras executives have been sentenced in the case, which has also seen prosecutors investigating dozens of high-profile business executives and politicians.

More:
https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/28941833/

[Judi Lynn]

1. First Brazil Builder Executives Sentenced as Probe Advances

First Brazil Builder Executives Sentenced as Probe Advances

by David Biller and Blake Schmidt
July 20, 2015 — 1:46 PM CDT

Two former executives of Camargo Correa SA received sentences exceeding 15 years from a judge handing down the first punishments to builders in Brazil’s biggest-ever corruption scandal.

Judge Sergio Moro sentenced ex-President Dalton Avancini along with Eduardo Leite, the conglomerate’s former vice president, to 15 years and 10 months for corruption, money laundering and organized criminal activity. Both had previously turned state’s witness. Moro also sentenced Joao Ricardo Auler, a former chairman, to nine years and six months for the same offenses. The three will serve part of their sentences under house arrest.

In a nation where white-collar criminals are rarely punished severely, the Camargo sentences mark a new phase in the investigation of inflated contracts at state-run oil giant Petroleo Brasileiro SA that began last year. The probe has not only hobbled the economy by slowing infrastructure works but also created political turmoil as state’s witnesses accuse lawmakers of allegedly benefiting from the kickback scheme.

Camargo Correa’s outside press office declined to comment immediately, saying it was awaiting authorization from the company. Petrobras’s press office declined to comment.

More:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-20/first-brazil-builder-executives-sentenced-as-probe-advances