Brazil. Former Brazilian President Collor de Mello convicted of corruption

Former center-right Brazilian President Fernando Collor de Mello (1990-1992) was convicted by the Federal Supreme Court of corruption and money laundering in the context of the Lava Jato scandal.

Eight of the ten judges ruled in favor of the conviction. The reporting judge for the case, Edson Fachin, suggested a sentence of 33 years in prison, but this will only be announced on May 31.

The first head of state to be elected by direct universal suffrage after the military dictatorship, Collor, 73, is accused of receiving 20 million reais (about 3.8 million euros) in bribes between 2010 and 2014, when he was a senator. .

Fachin considered that the former President used “political influence to facilitate the signing of contracts”.

According to the Public Ministry, around 40 payments were made to “irregularly facilitate” the signing of these contracts between a construction company and a subsidiary of the state oil company Petrobras.

The defense refuted all charges.

The investigation was opened in the scope of the Lava Jato scandal, which shook Brazil from 2014.

Collor de Mello governed Brazil between 1990 and 1992, when he resigned at a time when the country’s Congress was preparing to conclude a process of dismissal for passive corruption, an accusation of which he would later be acquitted by the Justice.

He returned to politics in 2006, being elected senator for Alagoas (northeast), a position he held until the end of last year.