Former Rio Governor indicted for 184 counts of money laundering

Federal prosecutors in Rio de Janeiro filed a new indictment today (Feb. 14) against former State Governor Sérgio Cabral for 184 counts of money laundering. The investigation was conducted as part of Operations Efficiency and Calicut, both of which spinoffs of Operation Car Wash. Investigators believe that Cabral, arrested since November last year, spearheaded the scheme.

The 99-page-long indictment also mentions crimes of money laundering perpetrated by ten other people—among them foreign currency dealers, Cabral's assistants form the time when he served as Rio governor, and Adriana Ancelmo (seven counts), his wife.

According to investigators, the foreign currency dealers would receive the money from corruption deals in cash and subsequently hand out the amounts as payment for costs incurred by the indicted. The prosecutors claim that Cabral's assistants had a cash flow spreadsheet “showing that the funds kept by them were used as payment for expenditures, from August 1, 2014, to June 10, 2015, totaling [$12.8 million]—approximately [$1.29 million] a month.”

The prosecution further announced that the indictment includes only crimes committed in Brazil and that investigations should continue, so new indictments may be lodged.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira