Brazil’s former leftist president is being charged with money-laundering in the corruption investigation surrounding the state-owned oil company.
According to the BBC, charging papers were being filed by prosecutors against Luíz Inácio Lula da Silva, who served as Brazil’s president from 2003 to 2011.
The BBC reported that prosecutors have announced a news conference for Thursday and that the charges center on the ownership of a penthouse overlooking the sea in the exclusive resort of Guaruja.
Both Mr. Lula and his wife, Marisa Leticia, deny any wrongdoing.
Mr. Lula was one of the founding members of the Workers Party, pursued a progressive path at home, though he sometimes wasn’t radical enough for some in the Workers Party, and raised Brazil’s international profile on diplomatic issues.
Mr. Lula was detained in the Petrobras probe last week, easily the highest-profile target in a massive investigation of interlocking webs of “pay-to-play,” kickbacks and other corruption.
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