Justice orders new detention for Marcelo Odebrecht and four executives
The Federal Justice of Paraná has ordered this Friday (July 24) a new preventive detention appeal to the president of the construction firm Odebrecht, Marcelo Odebrecht and other four exercutives of the company. Being investigated by Operation Car Wash, which probes the criminal scheme of fund deviation from Petrobras, the five executives are in preventive detention since June 19.
In his order, the judge Sergio Moro has explained that the new request is necessary because new evidences of their involviment in the scheme have been uncovered. They have been trying to appeal to habeas corpus, to be released from confinement. For the judge, the release of the investigated poses a risk to public order since Odebrecht has the means to “interfere in the collection of evidence, either by pressing witnesses, or by seeking political interference.” Thus the judge appeals for maintaining the pretrial detention as necessary to stop the cycle of “crimes committed in a normal, professional and sophisticated way.”
In his sentence, Moro pointed out that although Petrobras has forbidden new contracts of being signed with contractors investigated by Operation Car Wash, they still have ongoing contracts with the oil company. Moro has also warned that despite the removal of directors under suspicion, it is possible that we have not identified all the employees who took part in the corruption scheme within the company.
When contacted, the Odebrecht advisory board reported that Marcelo Odebrecht lawyers will only comment on the case in due course after reviewing the complaint. Agência Brasil could not contact the defense attorney of Rogério Santos de Araújo.
Translated by Amarílis Anchieta
Fonte: Justice orders new detention for Marcelo Odebrecht and four executives
