A rancher close to Lula da Silva arrested on Petrobras corruption probe

Wednesday, November 25th 2015 - 08:41 UTC

Full article 4 comments

Federal police said that Bumlai was arrested in Brasilia and taken to Curitiba for questioning by Judge Sergio Moro, who heads the massive Petrobras probe

Moro however said that in the Bumlai case “there is no proof that the ex-president was involved in these crimes”

Brazilian authorities working on the country’s huge Petrobras corruption probe arrested Jose Carlos Bumlai, a rancher reportedly close to powerful former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Federal police said that Bumlai was arrested in the capital Brasilia and immediately taken to Curitiba for questioning by Judge Sergio Moro, who heads the probe into massive fraud centered on oil giant Petrobras.

Moro sought to dampen speculation about Lula himself being caught up in the Bumlai case, stressing “there is no proof that the ex-president was involved in these crimes.”

Bumlai, a wealthy rancher said to have advised Lula on the agriculture industry during his 2003-2010 presidency, was accused of involvement in a fraudulent bid for a Petrobras drill ship contract and unpaid loans benefiting the ruling Workers’ Party. The biggest of these loans was 12 million Reais (approx 3.4m dollars)

According to prosecutors, those loans from Schahin industrial group were improperly forgiven and then masked with “false payments,” with Schahin winning the drill ship contract in return.

The Petrobras scandal, in which executives colluded with politicians and businessmen to rob the company through bribes for rigged contracts, has shaken Brazil. Although President Dilma Rousseff and her predecessor Lula have not been named in the probe, their Workers’ Party has come under fire.

Lula’s former chief of staff, Jose Dirceu, already in jail for other previous corruption crimes, is one of those accused of involvement in the scheme.

Categories: Politics, Brazil.

Tags: Brazil, Jose Carlos Bumlai, Judge Sergio Moro, Lula da Silva, Petrobras corruption.

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ChrisR
No evidence that The Chief Crook was involved?

Has the judge been bribed?
Nov 25th, 2015 - 05:24 pm 0
Jack Bauer
There are very strong suspicions regarding the chief crook's involvement, based on far too many coincidences....but as yet, no actual proof has been presented. Each time a close associate to the 9-fingered toad is carted off to prison for interrogation, he rears his ugly head and says “I know nothing” .....It's the same with all petistas, and even after they are caught with their pants down, they deny everything.
But just to add to the excitement, the PT Senator and the Government's leader in the Congress, Delcidio Amaral has just been arrested on charges of obstruction of justice in the case of the “Lava-Jato”/ PB corruption scheme. This time there is proof - several recorded phone conversations - during which the Senator was trying to convince, or rather, bribe Nestor Cerveró (one of the already imprisoned PB directors) with a life-long, monthly payment of R$ 50,000.00, to his family) to not accept any plea bargain offered by the Federal Police ....the irony of it is that it was Cerveró himself, and his sons, that alerted the Federal Police to this bribery attempt. The Supreme Court has given the OK for his continued arrest, and handed-out warrants to search his home and office, and now it is upto Congress to kick him out. Meanwhile, back in the Government Palace in Brasília, both Dilma and Lula are probably crapping their knickers. The question that has to be asked, is who are the others behind Delcidio's initiative - as it's practically sure he was not acting alone - and where did he expect to get the R$ 50,000.00 per month to pay-off Cervero's family ?
Nov 25th, 2015 - 09:25 pm 0
ChrisR
@2 Jack Bauer
“and where did he expect to get the R$ 50,000.00 per month to pay-off Cervero's family ?”

He wouldn't if:
He was himself proven guilty (why bother keeping your word to another crook he would think);
Once he has made several payments he could drop the amount or even stop it altogether because the recipients themselves have committed an offence and would be unlikely to go running to the police!

It's all coming to fruition though and The Chief Crook will, without a doubt, be shopped by a close associate who makes a plea bargain.
Nov 26th, 2015 - 11:02 am 0

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