Massive Brazil police raids in Brazil have Panama links
A MASSIVE SEARCH operation in nine Brazilian states by 380 agents of the Federal Police follows study of documents by judges revealing details of a bribery network involving Marcelo Odebrecht, “not only had knowledge of and acquiesced these illegal payments, but also ordered them directly” as in the case of João Santana and his wife and partner Monica Moura, campaign managers for CD presidential candidate José Domingo Arias in Panama.
Fifteen top Odebrecht officials were arrested police said at a press conference.
The 110 commands for search, arrest and provisional detention are intended to behead “a secret structure in the Odebretch group using illicit payment of bribes” and maneuvered a complex network of money laundering, whose activity, including Panama, extended “until the second half of 2015”.
According to documents consulted by La Prensa investigations of the 26th stage of the investigation of Lava Jato (Car wash) point to a “criminal organization” composed of “entrepreneurs and professional money launderers” who worked for the Brazilian construction company.
Brazilian judges are explicit that this criminal enterprise designed and entrenched in the Odebretch structure “had among its missions to make possible through ‘parallel payments’ illegal activities on behalf of the company.”
E vidence gathered by investigators show that ” the operation of this illegal scheme was installed within the Odebretch Structural Operations Sector computer system, used to store data relating to processing payments kickbacks and to allow secret communication between executives and officials involved in illicit tasks “
“To process the reserved communication between executives, officials and agents responsible for money laundering Odebrech used other software in which “all communicated through the use of aliases or false name, ” according to the documents consulted.
Through analysis of e-mails, messages, and files found in the headquarters of Odebretch, the judges have individualized to at least 14 executives from various departments of the company, “asking ‘parallel payments’ and in charge of payments of kickbacks for government officials.
“With this system, the Brazilian prosecution has determined that sought to hide in a B accounting “delivery of spurious values.”
“This evidence opens a whole new line of research for the payment of bribes depending on the bidding for public works,” say the judges.
Finally, the Brazilian prosecution concludes that, Marcelo Odebrecht, former head of the company, and recently sentenced to nearly 20 years imprisonment “not only had knowledge of and acquiesced in these illegal payments, but also ordered them directly” such as in the case of the campaign manager for the election of José Domingo Arias in Panama.
