Supreme Court halts probe into Eletronuclear
Justice Zavascki
Supreme Court Justice Teori Zavascki suspended on Friday (Oct. 2) the probes under Operation Car Wash (launched by the Federal Police to investigate corruption cases at Petrobras) into alleged funds embezzled from the construction of the nuclear plant Angra 3, in Rio de Janeiro state.
The justice determined that all charges linked to the 16th stage of the operation (which focus on the money embezzlement at the plant) should be submitted to the Supreme Court, as Senator Edison Lobão has been implicated. Under Brazilian law, senators are protected from all lower courts by special legislation. All charges in Operation Car Wash are under the responsibility of Federal Judge Sérgio Moro.
The decision is to be observed until the justice has finished analyzing the content of all charges. Zavascki has granted the request of Flávio Barra, executive at construction company Andrade Gutierrez, arrested as part of the operation. According to both the Federal Public Prosecution Office and the Federal Police, former Eletronuclear CEO Othon Luiz Pinheiro da Silva received approximately $1.12 million in exchange for favoring a consortium which included Andrade Gutierrez.
As a result, Judge Sérgio Moro filed a criminal case against Othon Luiz and 13 other people under scrutiny in the 16th phase of Operation Car Wash. In the ruling, Moro notes that, in the Eletronuclear case, the connection between the crimes and the construction companies that worked with Petrobras is evident.
Translated by Fabrício Ferreira
Fonte: Supreme Court halts probe into Eletronuclear
