According to Bloomberg, Odebrecht was convicted of 11 counts of active corruption – involving $64 million in bribes to Petrobras agents – 50 counts of money laundering, and for the crime of criminal association. Mr. Odebrecht was CEO of the.
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In a statement, Odebrecht’s defense team called the sentence “manifestly unjust and unfair because it does not have any basis in the evidence produced”.
The coercive detention of Lula and attempted parliamentary coup against Dilma have been widely condemned throughout the country, from the government and its allies, to mass organisations, trade unions and social movements, which have taken to the streets in protest across various cities in Brazil.
Lula was not arrested, but held for questioning over alleged “favors” received from corrupt construction companies implicated in a kickback scheme, prosecutors said.
In a statement released by the Lula Insititute, the former president said that his family put a down payment on an apartment in the complex but later asked for a refund after the company that began the project folded and sold it to OAS.
Mr. Odebrecht’s stiff sentence, along with the lengthy prison terms meted out to other executives and political figures in the scandal, marks a shift within Brazil’s justice system.
The political temperature rose sharply last Friday, when police briefly detained Lula and searched his house and the offices of his foundation, prompting sharp criticism from Rousseff.
“We are defending democracy and rejecting the witch hunt in place against the Workers’ Party”, said demonstrator Lea Portuense, 55. The companies are also at the center of the $2 billion Petrobras scandal.
Lula’s supporters say the attacks on him are aimed at tarnishing his reputation, amid rumours that he may run for office again in 2018.
Rousseff has frequently courted private investment to tackle Brazil’s notorious transportation bottlenecks since she was first elected in 2010, but the country’s investment rate continues to slide in the second year of a steep downturn.
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Unconfirmed reports that Workers’ Party Senator Delcidio do Amaral is preparing to testify that Rousseff obstructed the Petrobras investigation have already caused a huge stir and could give powerful ammunition to the impeachment camp.
