Eduardo Cunha, the former speaker of Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies, has been sentenced to 15 years in jail after being found guilty of corruption, money laundering and tax evasion.
The sentence was handed down Thursday by Sergio Moro, the federal judge who is leading Brazil’s massive “Operation Car Wash” corruption investigation.
The ongoing federal probe centers on the the illegal operations of state petroleum company Petrobras. As part of the scheme, construction companies paid huge kickbacks to Petrobras executives and politicians in exchange for lucrative contracts. Cunha was found guilty of receiving up to $1.5 million dollars in bribes from Petrobras.
The fallout from “Operation Car Wash” has engulfed dozens of Brazil’s leading business leaders and politicians.
Leading voice in Rousseff’s impeachment
In 2016 Cunha was voted out of Congress in a chamber vote of 450 to 10, with nine abstentions. Lawmakers decided overwhelmingly that Cunha had lied during the investigation into Petrobras — and had hidden illegal payments in offshore accounts.
As a result of his ouster, he also was stripped of his privileges as a member of Congress. Under Brazilian law, charges brought against national lawmakers are heard by Brazil’s Supreme Court. Such cases can take years to come to trial.
The Chamber of Deputies and Brazil’s Senate make up its Congress.
Cunha, who has been in custody since his arrest in October last year, was one of the leading voices behind the impeachment of former President Dilma Rousseff.