BRASILIA – A Brazilian court yesterday sentenced former finance minister Antonio Palocci to 12 years in prison for corruption and money laundering in the country’s massive corruption probe known as Operation Car Wash.
The ruling by Judge Sergio Moro adds pressure on Palocci, who served as finance minister under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and as chief of staff for Lula’s successor Dilma Rousseff, to reach a plea bargain with prosecutors in a bid to have his sentence reduced.
Palocci has offered to provide details about the kickback scheme under investigation that could hurt Lula’s chances of running in the 2018 election.
