Former construction execs sentenced for corruption
As part of the first sentence handed down to construction executives, Judge Sérgio Moro, of the Federal Court of Paraná, convicted Monday (Jul 20) six defendants implicated in Operation Car Wash, a probe into the corruption scheme targeting contracts at oil giant Petrobras.
Pronounced guilty of active corruption, money laundering, and criminal conspiracy were former Camargo Corrêa executives Dalton dos Santos Avancini (15 years in jail), Eduardo Hermelino Leite (15 years), and former Advisor João Ricardo Auler (9 years and six months).
Ex-Petrobras Downstream Director Paulo Roberto Costa was convicted of passive corruption and of having accepted illicit amounts from Camargo Corrêa executives. His 12-year sentence was also imposed for six counts of money laundering in contracts between the construction firm and the refineries Abreu e Lima and Getúlio Vargas, by means of sham deals with Costa Global Consultoria.
Avancini and Hermelino Leite were further sentenced to 38 counts of money laundering in contracts from the refineries, made possible through sham deals with the companies Sanko Sider, MO Consultoria, Empreiteira Rigidez, GDF Investmentos, and Costa Global.
Black-market money deal Alberto Youssef, in charge of carrying out the transactions, was confirmed guilty of passive corruption and is to serve eight years in jail.
As part of the plea bargain deal, Paulo Roberto Costa, Alberto Youssef, Dalton dos Santos Avancini, and Eduardo Hermelino Leite had their sentences reduced.
Investigators say that Camargo Corrêa, as is the case with other large Brazilian construction companies, was involved in cartel formation and bid-rigging at Petrobras in an attempt to contract large-scale projects.
The companies reportedly overpriced deals with the oil giant, and, in order to do that, they had the assistance of high officials from Petrobras itself, among whom former Director Paulo Roberto Costa.
In a note, Camargo Corrêa declared that Avancini, Hermelino Leite and João Ricardo Auler have been dismissed from the company and are no longer staff members.
Translated by Fabrício Ferreira
Fonte: Former construction execs sentenced for corruption
