Brazil police target Rousseff campaign chief in corruption probe
Source: Reuters
World | Mon Feb 22, 2016 5:44pm EST
Brazil police target Rousseff campaign chief in corruption probe
SAO PAULO/RIO DE JANEIRO | BY CAROLINE STAUFFER AND PEDRO FONSECA
Brazilian police said on Monday they obtained an arrest warrant for the architect of President Dilma Rousseff's electoral campaigns, complicating her fight to survive an investigation of her re-election in 2014 and stave off impeachment by Congress.
The investigation of campaigner João Santana, known as "the maker of presidents" in Latin America, was part of Brazil's corruption investigation focusing on state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA, or Petrobras.
Santana, the former ruling Workers' Party treasurer and a top aide to former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, as well as dozens of engineering executives, and a ruling party senator have been arrested for colluding to overcharge Petrobras for work in order to distribute excess funds as bribes.
The arrest of Santana could be a further blow to Rousseff, who is not being investigated in the scandal but whose popularity has plummeted as a result. She faces questions over whether her campaign was financed with bribe money skimmed off of Petrobras.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/us-brazil-corruption-petrobras-idUSKCN0VV0YO