The fallout from the Petrobras scandal continues to consume Brazil. A former head of the energy giant has alleged that the governing Workers’ Party had received between $150 and $200 million in kickbacks from 90 of the biggest contracts Petrobras signed with major companies from 2003 until 2013, O Globo reports Friday.
According to the former executive, Pedro Barusco, at least $50 million of that sum passed through the hands of the Workers’ Party treasurer Joao Vaccari Neto. Vaccari was taken to a police station Thursday for questioning. He denies the accusations.
This tops a difficult week for Brazil’s recently reelected president, Dilma Rousseff, who is also a former chairwoman of the company, and for the state-owned company, which saw its boss and five senior executives resign.
Read more about this topic with this America Economia/Worldcrunch piece: The Petrobras Scandal And The Future Of Brazilian Democracy
ABOUT THE SOURCE: O Globo is a nationwide newspaper based in Rio de Janeiro. It was founded in 1925 and is one of the cornerstones of the media conglomerate Organizações Globo, led by businessman Roberto Marinho.