Brazil Prosecutor Has Evidence of Ex-President Lula's Criminal Activity

Brazilian authorities have sufficient evidence to accuse former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of criminal activity, federal prosecutor Carlos Fernando dos Santos Lima said Friday.

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, police raided the former leader’s house and took him for questioning as part of a huge graft probe into the national oil company's Petrobras activities.

"We have 39 pages of evidence against Lula, they are all criminal," Santos said at a press conference.

Lula, who was in power from 2003 to 2010, is said to have benefited from the kick-back scheme, which helped the ex-president become the owner of luxurious real estate objects.

Brazil-based Petrobras company was involved in a corruption scandal last year, after it was revealed that several functionaries signed contracts and received for that a 3 percent commission of the contract amount. These funds were further used to bribe politicians and officials. According to the Brazilian authorities, overpricing and bribery brought to the masterminds about $3.8 billion.