Brazil Police file more charges against Lula

Brazil's Federal Police has filed new charges against former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, local media reported.

The charges against Lula are for passive corruption in a case involving bribes paid by the Odebrecht construction company for him to rent an apartment and buy property, Efe news reported on Tuesday.

The police, in the same case, also filed charges for money laundering against six other people, including Lula's wife, his former finance minister and his attorney.

Lula was already the target of three indictments for corruption.

One of the accusations refers to alleged influence-peddling to benefit the former head of state's son, Luiz Claudio Lula da Silva.

The grafts took place in 2013-2015, two years after the end of Lula's second term, but prosecutors maintain that he continued to wield influence within the administration of protege and successor Dilma Rousseff.

Lula's son received $740,000 from companies that sought an extension of favourable tax treatment for Brazil's auto industry, according to the Attorney General's Office.

The new charges filed on Monday come within the framework of the investigation into the huge corruption network that diverted funds from state-run oil company Petrobras.

The charges filed by the police would now be reviewed by the Attorney General's Office, which may then ask the Justice Ministry to bring the seven accused to trial.

--IANS

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