Judge in charge of Petrobras probe orders new arrests
Renato Duque, former engineering and services director at Petrobras, is among the five people arrested today (Mar 16) by the Federal Police as part of the 10th phase of Operation Car Wash, the series of investigations over illicit contracts at the state-controlled oil firm. Duque, who had already been taken to jail in December during stage seven, was detained in his home in Rio de Janeiro, where also 131 paintings were seized.
According to the Federal Public Prosecution Office, after being released in December, Duque transferred 20 million euros from his accounts in Switzerland to banks in Monaco.
“The money that was frozen in Monaco evinces the need for Renato de Souza Duque's prison as a means to ensure public order. Just as Pedro Barusco returned $97 million to public coffers after having agreed to a plea bargain with the Federal Public Prosecution Office, Renato Duque, who has not agreed to such a deal, should have his illicitly acquired assets blocked, overseas or in Brazil, so that the public coffers may be fully restored,” said Public Attorney Roberson Henrique Pozzobon, one of those in charge of the tenth phase of Operation Car Wash.
Other people facing preventive detention are executive Adir Assad e Lucélio Góes, son of Mário Góes, one of the suspects of having acted as a middleman in a bribery scheme involving Petrobras officials and Arxo, a company from the state of Santa Catarina. Three other people had a five-day detention ruled.
Federal Judge Sérgio Moro
In this new phase, approximately 40 federal police officers exercised 18 court orders in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, two of which for preventive detention, four for temporary arrest, and 12 for search and seizure. Rulings were issued by Federal Judge Sérgio Moro, from Curitiba, capital of the southern state of Paraná. All detainees were taken to custody in a facility belonging to the Federal Police in the same city.
According to Public Attorney Pozzobon, the probes conducted as part of the 10th phase of the police-launched operation have uncovered that firms sharing agreements with Petrobras have made transactions analogous to money laundering worth $31 million.
Nielmar Oliveira, from Agência Brasil in Rio de Janeiro, contributed to this story.
Translated by Fabrício Ferreira
Fonte: Judge in charge of Petrobras probe orders new arrests
