Justice overseeing Car Wash case orders probe into 42 lower house members

Speaker Rodrigo Maia, and 41 other members of the Chamber of Deputies from 13 parties are among the politicians ordered under investigation by Supreme Court Justice Edson Fachin. They were all named in plea bargain statements heard from former executives of Odebrecht construction company in connection with the “Car Wash” corruption scandal.

Also implicated are former speakers Marco Maia and Arlindo Chinaglia, both of them members of the Workers' Party (PT).

With 11 deputies targeted, PT, the former ruling party, has the largest number of deputies implicated. DEM and PP have five targeted deputies each, the ruling PMDB and the PSDB each have four deputies implicated, and the PR, three deputies. The PSD, PSB and PRB each have two deputies to be investigated. The PPS, the SD, the PCdoB and the PTB each have one member of the lower house listed to be probed.

The probes will be led by the Prosecutor-General's Office (PGR) and the Federal Police (PF). Besides hearings of the suspects' testimonies, wiretaps and tax disclosures may be ordered.

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In a press conference, the house Speaker Rodrigo Maia (DEM) said “the whistleblowers' allegations will be proven wrong eventually.” “The case will be dropped. I trust justice and always will. The Prosecution Service and courts will do a good job, and Congress will do theirs—making laws. There's a separation of powers,” Maia said.

The PT deputies complained case was declassified before the accused “had the chance to know what the charges were,” and issued a statement saying they will prove their “innocence in the case.”

Ricardo Trípoli, the PSDB leader in the lower house, said the PSDB deputies trust justice and the institutions, and called for transparency in publicizing the case. “Declassification will enable the accused to enforce their full right to a fair hearing, so that truth prevails. However, the institutions' work should not bring the country to a standstill. There is a reform agenda pending in Congress that will be crucial in reviving the economy and creating jobs,” Trípoli said in a statement.

Deputy Baleia Rossi, the PMDB leader in the house, also spoke out in support for the Supreme Court's decision to declassify the case records, arguing that a full disclosure of the case is crucial to raise public awareness and ensure a fair trial with the accused having the opportunity to be heard.”

Translated by Mayra Borges