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U.S. NEWSThursday 24 March 2016
Seized spreadsheets list payments to top Brazil politicians
JENNY BARCHFIELD Eduardo Cunha — a Rous- law in Brazil and help con-
Associated Press seff foe who brought im-
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — In peachment proceedings struct a better Brazil,” the
another stunning turn in against the president over
the snowballing corrup- allegations of fiscal mis- statement said.
tion investigation that is management by her ad-
shaking Brazil, top news- ministration. The document drop also
papers on Wednesday re- Cunha, who has been in-
leased scans of dozens of dicted on bribery charges, came on the heels of a le-
spreadsheets seized by po- denied he received any
lice listing what appeared illicit campaign contribu- gal victory for embattled
to be payments by one tions sand he hot not re-
of the country’s biggest ceived any contributions former President Luiz Inacio
companies to about 200 “directly” from Odebrecht,
politicians, including code according to G1. Other Lula da Silva. Late Tuesday,
names and monetary val- politicians listed on the
ues. spreadsheets also denied Supreme Court Justice Teo-
The newspapers O Estado receiving illicit payouts.
de S. Paulo, O Globo and The lists also include Rio de ri Zavascki said Moro erred
Folha de S. Paulo said the Janeiro Mayor Eduardo
documents were discov- Paes, who is the driving in releasing tapped phone
ered during the search force behind the Olympic
last month of the Rio de Games in the city Aug. calls of Silva and at least
Janeiro home of an execu- 5-21.The document dump
tive at the Odebrecht con- came a day after po- temporarily removed the
struction giant — one of lice carried out a wave of
the companies embroiled searches and detentions judge from any investiga-
in the “Car Wash” probe linked to Odebrecht. Prose-
of an alleged kickback cutors said that corruption tion of the former president.
scheme at the state-run was so deeply entrenched
Petrobras oil company. in the company, one of The decision means Moro
The papers cautioned that Brazil’s biggest, that the
it was not immediately Brazil’s former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva addresses sup- firm had a whole depart- no longer has the power
clear whether the spread- porters during a meeting with union leaders in Sao Paulo, Brazil, ment dedicated to making
sheets were tracking legiti- Wednesday, March 23, 2016. illicit payments. to order Silva’s provisional
mate campaign donations In a statement hours after
or illicit payouts. But the Associated Press Tuesday’s raids, the com- detention over suspicions
sheer scope of the docu- pany issued a statement
ment dump, which lists saying it had decided to of money-laundering and
Cabinet ministers, legisla- collaborate with the inves-
tors, governors and may- tigation. influence peddling in con-
ors from around 18 parties, “We hope that our expla-
was sure to raise a slew ratchet up the pressure on its website. The spread- nations contribute signifi- nection with the Petrobras
of questions and further Brazil’s much disdained po- sheets, some of which in- cantly to the institutions of
litical class. clude hand-written notes scheme. Silva denies all
The documents were re- and additions, appear
moved from the home to be linked to payments wrongdoing.
of Benedicto Barbosa da made during elections in
Silva Junior, president of 2010, 2012 and 2014. However, Zavascki
Odebrecht Infrastructure, G1, the internet portal of
during a February police the Globo television net- stopped short of allowing
search and have been work, put the total listed in
catalogued as evidence in the spreadsheets at more Silva to become Rousseff’s
the investigation headed than 55 million Brazilian
by federal Judge Sergio reais, about $15 million. chief of staff, which has
Moro in the southern city of Among the politicians on
Curitiba. the spreadsheets were been blocked by other
Moro’s office was closed Education Minister Aloizio
Wednesday due to the Mercadante, a member of judges. The Cabinet post
Easter holiday and not able President Dilma Rousseff’s
to answer any questions inner circle; opposition Sen. would make it harder to in-
about the documents. Aecio Neves, who narrowly
O Estado de S. Paulo pub- lost to Rousseff in the 2014 vestigate Silva for possible
lished scans of more than presidential runoff; and the
60 pieces of evidence on speaker of the lower house, corruption because only
Brazil’s Supreme Court can
authorize investigation,
charges and detention for
top government officials.
Rumors that Silva would
be given a Cabinet-lev-
el posting surfaced after
Moro ordered him taken in
for questioning in the cor-
ruption probe earlier this
month.
