Petrobras Scandal: Brazil’s Ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to Go on Trial
Brazil’s ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is to go on trial for obstruction of justice in a case related to the scandal at state oil company Petrobras, court documents show.
The Petrobras affair has already seen dozens of politicians and officials arrested.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, with six others, is accused of hampering Operation Car Wash, the investigation into the scandal.
He has denied any wrongdoing.
The date for the trial has not yet been set.
Those also charged on July 29 include former senator Delcidio Amaral and investment banker Andre Esteves.
They have been accused of trying to prevent former Petrobras director Nestor Cervero from testifying in a plea bargain deal.
Nestor Cervero was jailed for being the mastermind of the Petrobras scandal.
It is understood that the accusation against Lula is a result of a plea bargain testimony by Delcidio Amaral.
In May, Brazil’s Attorney General Rodrigo Janot accused Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of playing a key role in the Petrobras case, which is estimated to have cost the company more than $2 billion.
Rodrigo Janot said the corruption could not have taken place without the former president’s participation.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva made a comeback to frontline Brazilian politics in March, when President Dilma Rousseff nominated him as her chief of staff.
A judge then suspended Lula’s nomination saying it had been aimed at protecting him from possible prosecution.
Operation Car Wash was launched two years ago by prosecutors focusing initially on money laundering.
They say that their investigations have since uncovered a complex corruption scheme at Petrobras.
Brazilian prosecutors allege the scandal was used to finance the electoral campaigns of senior politicians.
Several politicians and Petrobras executives have been arrested and sentenced.
Some of them have agreed to testify against other suspects in exchange for more lenient sentences, taking the investigation to a new level.