Brazil’s Temer Arrested Over Lava Jato--Again

Published: 10 May 2019

Michel Temer images news

Michel Temer (CC 4.0)

By Aisha Kehoe Down

Brazil’s former president Michel Temer surrendered himself to the country’s federal police for the second time on Thursday, after he was arrested and let go in March over his involvement in a massive corruption scandal that implicated top politicians across Latin America.

Temer’s lawyer, Eduardo Carnelos, called his detention unfair.

"I consider this an injustice. As I understand it, there is no basis for his arrest," he said.

Temer’s second arrest comes after a federal judge ordered his detention over his involvement in the Lava Jato or “Car Wash” scandal--which centers around the Brazilian oil company Petrobras, and bribes given to politicians from Peru to Venezuela.

Prosecutors allege that Temer received hundreds of thousands in bribes from the construction company Engevix over a contract to build a nuclear power plant in the Rio de Janeiro state. 

He’s also accused of leading a "criminal organization" that facilitated up to 1.8 billion reais (US$469 million) in bribes through various kickback schemes.

Temer’s lawyers have filed an appeal against the latest order. He was reported to be in custody at the headquarters of federal police in Sao Paolo.