Brazil’s former president Fernando Collor de Mello was arrested early Friday in Alagoas state to begin serving an eight-year prison sentence for corruption, according to AP News.
Collor, 75, was convicted in 2023 of accepting 20 million reais ($3.5 million) in bribes to influence contracts between Petrobras subsidiary BR Distribuidora and construction firm UTC Engenharia. The ruling, tied to the sprawling Operation Car Wash probe, mandates initial imprisonment rather than house arrest.
Brazil’s first democratically elected president after military rule (1990–1992), Collor was impeached in 1992 over corruption allegations but later rebounded as a senator for Alagoas.
His latest conviction stems from leveraging political clout to secure executive appointments at BR Distribuidora in exchange for kickbacks. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the arrest, citing deliberate delays by Collor’s legal team to stall proceedings through meritless appeals.
Collor’s arrest awaits final confirmation by the full Supreme Court bench, though legal precedent suggests swift approval.
