angelburst29
The Living Force
A small plane has crashed near Rio de Janeiro, carrying a Supreme Federal Court judge who was investigating the ongoing high-profile Operation Carwash corruption scandal in Brazil, sparking worries that nefarious intent may have contributed to the aircraft’s wreckage.
Plane Transporting Brazil Supreme Court Magistrate Crashes Near Rio de Janeiro
https://sputniknews.com/world/201701191049791374-brazil-crash-supreme-court-judge/
The judge, a central figure in Operation Carwash, is among the victims, the local fire brigade has confirmed.
While the plane has the capacity to seat eight, a magistrate by the name of Teori Zavascki was aboard along with three other passengers. Zavascki’s son, Francisco, confirmed his father’s status on the aircraft. "Please pray for a miracle," he said in a Facebook post.
There are currently some four-dozen troops conducting a search mission. The soldiers are being aided by three Brazilian Navy seacraft, the Rio Fire Department, and local fishing boats. Local media outlets report that the plane landed in the sea of Paraty, adding that three casualties have been confirmed.
The plane, a Beechcraft King Air C90, was less than two miles from the landing strip in Rio, Brazil’s capital. The Brazilian Air Force corroborated reports that four passengers were on the flight, but did not disclose further details about their specific identities. Brazilian aviation agencies noted that the aircraft was fully registered and had been documented to be in working order. No root causes have been offered.
A hostel owner in the region said, "I have not seen the moment of the accident, I just felt a strong smell of fuel." One of her employees is part of the search and rescue team. Brazilian news outlet G1 has called the event an accident.
Operation Carwash corruption scandal in Brazil
Operation Car Wash uncovers Brazil's biggest-ever corruption scandal
http://latincorrespondent.com/2014/12/operation-car-wash-uncovers-biggest-corruption-scandal-history-brazil/
Back-dated 9th December 2014 - This year has seen Brazil uncover one of the biggest financial scandals in the country’s history, involving big companies and corrupt politicians.
In March, Operação Lava Jato (Operation Car Wash), an investigation conducted by the Federal Public Prosecutor and the Brazilian Federal Police, exposed a major criminal network that embezzled billions of dollars — and was formed by politicians, public servants, contractor executives and moneychangers.
The operation got its name from the fact most of the stolen money was laundered through a network of gas stations and car washes. The highest-profile business involved in the scandal is state-owned oil company Petrobras, although many others have been discovered through documents that have been disclosed.
The ongoing investigation found that the scheme has been operating for more than a decade and is so expansive that the authorities still haven’t figured out how much money was actually embezzled. Current estimates place the amount around $US 3.8 billion, the majority of it by Petrobras. In a report, the Federal Public Prosecutor stated that “although it is not possible to measure the total amount of damage, it can be said that the criminal scheme operated for at least 15 years in Petrobras.”
Due to its magnitude and scope, it is now considered “the biggest corruption scandal in the history of the country.”
Operation Car Wash was triggered on March 17, when moneychanger Alberto Youssef was found guilty of money-laundering through a massive corruption network. The Federal Police found a list of 750 constructions and public works that were a part of the scheme. But the main actor involved was former director of Petrobras’ supply unit Paulo Roberto Costa, who was incarcerated three days after Youssef’s conviction and later granted house arrest.
According to Brazilian authorities, Youssef was the financial agent while Costa was the “political operator.”
The contractors and companies involved (including Petrobras) distributed state contracts between them that were obtained through embezzlement and bribery of several government officials. The money was later on passed to different political parties through the laundering scheme.
Since then, as the investigation progresses, new information has been unveiled. As of last month, the operation, now in its seventh phase, has been able to associate nine companies — Odebrecht, Camargo Corrêa, Andrade Gutierrez, Iesa, Engevix, Mendes Júnior, UTC Engenharia, Queiroz Galvão and Galvão Engenharia — with the scheme, thanks to Costa’s confessions, and has issued 85 warrants. The companies implicated in the scandal have denied all accusations.
The beneficiaries - Different testimonies have indicated that the money went to finance the 2010 electoral campaigns of multiple political parties, including President Dilma Rousseff’s Workers Party (PT), the Brazilian Democratic Movement (PMDB) and the Progressive Party (PP). According to Costa, the principal operators that received and distributed the money were the PT’s treasurer João Vaccari Neto and Fernando Soare,s aka “Fernando Baiano,” of the PMDB. Costa also confessed to his involvement in a $US 7.7 million embezzlement scheme to finance the campaign of Pernambuco’s Socialist candidate Eduardo Campos — who was killed in a plane crash earlier this year — in 2010.
Many others have been implicated and all of them deny any involvement, suggesting that there is still a long way to go before this case gets any closure.
Brazil’s scandals and Latin America’s corruption battle
http://babalublog.com/2017/01/19/brazils-scandals-and-latin-americas-corruption-battle/
January 19, 2017 - More than two years after initial revelations of corruption involving Brazil’s state-owned oil company, Petrobras, and the construction firm, Odebrecht, the scandal continues to roil the country and its trading partners in Latin America, demonstrating once again that corruption remains a fundamental challenge for the region. The corruption revealed by the investigation dubbed “Operation Car Wash” has contributed to a deep recession, implicated some of the country’s economic elite, and helped topple President Dilma Rousseff and elected leaders from across the political spectrum.
More recent revelations have shown the extent of Odebrecht’s corrupt activities abroad. The multi-billion dollar Brazilian construction company has admitted to participating in corrupt activities in at least 11 other countries, including Venezuela, Ecuador, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Angola, Mexico, Guatemala, and Colombia. These revelations threaten to undermine the political agendas of Latin American leaders, forcing them to react and confront the realities of corruption in their own countries and governments.
In Peru, under the new leadership of President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, anti-corruption officials are investigating the country’s three most recent ex-presidents for corruption related to Odebrecht contracts. The government of Panama has announced that it will cancel a $1 billion contract with the Brazilian firm for the construction of a hydroelectric project in response to revelations that the company paid over $59 million in bribes over a four-year period.
The scandal has also impacted Colombia as it embarks on the monumental task of implementing a peace agreement with the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), which will require a massive expansion in the government’s presence and services. Over the weekend, Colombian authorities arrested a former senator on charges of “bribery and illicit enrichment” related to a government contract awarded to Odebrecht. This comes in the midst of other Odebrecht-related arrests in Colombia, including that of a former vice minister of transport.
Regional integration can be a great boon for economic growth in Latin America. But as the Odebrecht scandal shows, it can also serve as a vehicle for corruption. The region’s leaders and people must invest in judicial institutions that will ferret out and punish corruption and criminality.
Latin America’s leaders can use the Odebrecht scandal as an opportunity to rally support for anti-corruption activities and the establishment of independent watchdogs, the likes of which set new standards of accountability in countries like Guatemala.
MONEY SIPHONED IN PETROBRAS SCANDAL AMOUNTS TO MORE THAN BRAZIL’S GDP
http://plus55.com/brazil-politics/news/2017/01/petrobras-scandal-brazils-gdp
Jan 10, 2017 - Everything about Operation Car Wash is gigantic. The amount of data compiled in two and a half years amounts to 1.2 million gigabytes. It has forced the Federal Police to create a new system in order to store everything.
Odebrecht’s plea deal - But the most frightening thing about the investigation is that we may have only been scratching the surface. Dozens of executives at Odebrecht, Brazil’s largest construction company, are yet to reveal the real extent of corruption schemes. The plea deal signed between the Federal Prosecution Office and the Odebrecht executives received the nickname “end of the world plea deal,” due to its inflammatory potential.
Only one of the executives has already given statements to the prosecutors. But it was enough to drag the President and his closest allies into the scandal. President Michel Temer has allegedly received 10 million BRL in cash from the company. He claims, however, that the donation was legal. Why, then, did he receive it in cash, in the office of a friend, instead of having the money wired to the party’s accounts?
Plane Transporting Brazil Supreme Court Magistrate Crashes Near Rio de Janeiro
https://sputniknews.com/world/201701191049791374-brazil-crash-supreme-court-judge/
The judge, a central figure in Operation Carwash, is among the victims, the local fire brigade has confirmed.
While the plane has the capacity to seat eight, a magistrate by the name of Teori Zavascki was aboard along with three other passengers. Zavascki’s son, Francisco, confirmed his father’s status on the aircraft. "Please pray for a miracle," he said in a Facebook post.
There are currently some four-dozen troops conducting a search mission. The soldiers are being aided by three Brazilian Navy seacraft, the Rio Fire Department, and local fishing boats. Local media outlets report that the plane landed in the sea of Paraty, adding that three casualties have been confirmed.
The plane, a Beechcraft King Air C90, was less than two miles from the landing strip in Rio, Brazil’s capital. The Brazilian Air Force corroborated reports that four passengers were on the flight, but did not disclose further details about their specific identities. Brazilian aviation agencies noted that the aircraft was fully registered and had been documented to be in working order. No root causes have been offered.
A hostel owner in the region said, "I have not seen the moment of the accident, I just felt a strong smell of fuel." One of her employees is part of the search and rescue team. Brazilian news outlet G1 has called the event an accident.
Operation Carwash corruption scandal in Brazil
Operation Car Wash uncovers Brazil's biggest-ever corruption scandal
http://latincorrespondent.com/2014/12/operation-car-wash-uncovers-biggest-corruption-scandal-history-brazil/
Back-dated 9th December 2014 - This year has seen Brazil uncover one of the biggest financial scandals in the country’s history, involving big companies and corrupt politicians.
In March, Operação Lava Jato (Operation Car Wash), an investigation conducted by the Federal Public Prosecutor and the Brazilian Federal Police, exposed a major criminal network that embezzled billions of dollars — and was formed by politicians, public servants, contractor executives and moneychangers.
The operation got its name from the fact most of the stolen money was laundered through a network of gas stations and car washes. The highest-profile business involved in the scandal is state-owned oil company Petrobras, although many others have been discovered through documents that have been disclosed.
The ongoing investigation found that the scheme has been operating for more than a decade and is so expansive that the authorities still haven’t figured out how much money was actually embezzled. Current estimates place the amount around $US 3.8 billion, the majority of it by Petrobras. In a report, the Federal Public Prosecutor stated that “although it is not possible to measure the total amount of damage, it can be said that the criminal scheme operated for at least 15 years in Petrobras.”
Due to its magnitude and scope, it is now considered “the biggest corruption scandal in the history of the country.”
Operation Car Wash was triggered on March 17, when moneychanger Alberto Youssef was found guilty of money-laundering through a massive corruption network. The Federal Police found a list of 750 constructions and public works that were a part of the scheme. But the main actor involved was former director of Petrobras’ supply unit Paulo Roberto Costa, who was incarcerated three days after Youssef’s conviction and later granted house arrest.
According to Brazilian authorities, Youssef was the financial agent while Costa was the “political operator.”
The contractors and companies involved (including Petrobras) distributed state contracts between them that were obtained through embezzlement and bribery of several government officials. The money was later on passed to different political parties through the laundering scheme.
Since then, as the investigation progresses, new information has been unveiled. As of last month, the operation, now in its seventh phase, has been able to associate nine companies — Odebrecht, Camargo Corrêa, Andrade Gutierrez, Iesa, Engevix, Mendes Júnior, UTC Engenharia, Queiroz Galvão and Galvão Engenharia — with the scheme, thanks to Costa’s confessions, and has issued 85 warrants. The companies implicated in the scandal have denied all accusations.
The beneficiaries - Different testimonies have indicated that the money went to finance the 2010 electoral campaigns of multiple political parties, including President Dilma Rousseff’s Workers Party (PT), the Brazilian Democratic Movement (PMDB) and the Progressive Party (PP). According to Costa, the principal operators that received and distributed the money were the PT’s treasurer João Vaccari Neto and Fernando Soare,s aka “Fernando Baiano,” of the PMDB. Costa also confessed to his involvement in a $US 7.7 million embezzlement scheme to finance the campaign of Pernambuco’s Socialist candidate Eduardo Campos — who was killed in a plane crash earlier this year — in 2010.
Many others have been implicated and all of them deny any involvement, suggesting that there is still a long way to go before this case gets any closure.
Brazil’s scandals and Latin America’s corruption battle
http://babalublog.com/2017/01/19/brazils-scandals-and-latin-americas-corruption-battle/
January 19, 2017 - More than two years after initial revelations of corruption involving Brazil’s state-owned oil company, Petrobras, and the construction firm, Odebrecht, the scandal continues to roil the country and its trading partners in Latin America, demonstrating once again that corruption remains a fundamental challenge for the region. The corruption revealed by the investigation dubbed “Operation Car Wash” has contributed to a deep recession, implicated some of the country’s economic elite, and helped topple President Dilma Rousseff and elected leaders from across the political spectrum.
More recent revelations have shown the extent of Odebrecht’s corrupt activities abroad. The multi-billion dollar Brazilian construction company has admitted to participating in corrupt activities in at least 11 other countries, including Venezuela, Ecuador, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Angola, Mexico, Guatemala, and Colombia. These revelations threaten to undermine the political agendas of Latin American leaders, forcing them to react and confront the realities of corruption in their own countries and governments.
In Peru, under the new leadership of President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, anti-corruption officials are investigating the country’s three most recent ex-presidents for corruption related to Odebrecht contracts. The government of Panama has announced that it will cancel a $1 billion contract with the Brazilian firm for the construction of a hydroelectric project in response to revelations that the company paid over $59 million in bribes over a four-year period.
The scandal has also impacted Colombia as it embarks on the monumental task of implementing a peace agreement with the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), which will require a massive expansion in the government’s presence and services. Over the weekend, Colombian authorities arrested a former senator on charges of “bribery and illicit enrichment” related to a government contract awarded to Odebrecht. This comes in the midst of other Odebrecht-related arrests in Colombia, including that of a former vice minister of transport.
Regional integration can be a great boon for economic growth in Latin America. But as the Odebrecht scandal shows, it can also serve as a vehicle for corruption. The region’s leaders and people must invest in judicial institutions that will ferret out and punish corruption and criminality.
Latin America’s leaders can use the Odebrecht scandal as an opportunity to rally support for anti-corruption activities and the establishment of independent watchdogs, the likes of which set new standards of accountability in countries like Guatemala.
MONEY SIPHONED IN PETROBRAS SCANDAL AMOUNTS TO MORE THAN BRAZIL’S GDP
http://plus55.com/brazil-politics/news/2017/01/petrobras-scandal-brazils-gdp
Jan 10, 2017 - Everything about Operation Car Wash is gigantic. The amount of data compiled in two and a half years amounts to 1.2 million gigabytes. It has forced the Federal Police to create a new system in order to store everything.
Odebrecht’s plea deal - But the most frightening thing about the investigation is that we may have only been scratching the surface. Dozens of executives at Odebrecht, Brazil’s largest construction company, are yet to reveal the real extent of corruption schemes. The plea deal signed between the Federal Prosecution Office and the Odebrecht executives received the nickname “end of the world plea deal,” due to its inflammatory potential.
Only one of the executives has already given statements to the prosecutors. But it was enough to drag the President and his closest allies into the scandal. President Michel Temer has allegedly received 10 million BRL in cash from the company. He claims, however, that the donation was legal. Why, then, did he receive it in cash, in the office of a friend, instead of having the money wired to the party’s accounts?
