MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Lula da Silva was charged with money laundering, corruption and abuse of power, which, combined, could send him to prison for up to 35 years, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.
The former president, enmeshed in an investigation of a fraud scheme run by the state oil company Petrobras, has already been charged with obstruction of justice, money laundering and corruption in two separate lawsuits.
In 2014, it was revealed that businesses paid more than $2 billion in bribes to sign contracts with the oil company and obtain projects which later increased in cost. The scandal triggered a large-scale inquiry and discontent which were partly responsible for the impeachment of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff who headed the company in 2003-2010.
Lula da Silva served as the president of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.
