Odebrecht

Peru's president in last-ditch appearance

Lima - Muslimchronicle

Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski on Thursday made a last-ditch effort to stave off impeachment, appearing before lawmakers to deny allegations of corruption linked to disgraced Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht. "I came today at your request to confront and expose the false accusation to the country," the 79-year-old told the full session of Congress. Analysts, however, predicted that impeachment later Thursday on groundsRead more

Ecuador's VP handed 6 years in prison in Odebrecht graft case

Quito - Muslimchronicle

Ecuador's vice president, Jorge Glas, was sentenced to six years in prison Wednesday for receiving illegal kickbacks from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. He is the highest-ranking politician to be convicted in the sprawling case centered on Odebrecht, whose practice of giving bribes to secure public works contracts has cast a cloud over officials and ex-officials in several Latin American countries.Read more

Odebrecht scandal reaches Peru's Keiko Fujimori

Lima - Muslimchronicle

A mass corruption scandal over Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht has reportedly reached Peru's opposition leader Keiko Fujimori, daughter of a former president jailed for graft and human rights abuses. Investigators found a note stored in the telephone of the company's jailed ex-boss Marcelo Odebrecht that appeared to indicate he was making payments to Fujimori, Peruvian prosecutor Alonso Pena was quotedRead more

’Viagra’ and other code names in Brazil’s corruption scandal

Brasilia - Arab Today

The politicians caught up in Brazil’s biggest ever corruption scandal are well known to the public. But their alter egos, like “Viagra” and “BMW,” less so. Odebrecht, the massive engineering company that admits to systematic bribery of politicians, has revealed that code names were given to its long list of alleged bribe-takers. The graft was so widespread that Odebrecht setRead more

Peru search former president's home for evidence in graft case

Lima - ArabToday

Peruvian prosecutors on Saturday searched the home of former president Alejandro Toledo (2001-2006) and seized potential evidence in connection with a long-running graft case. Authorities arrived at the home at 3 a.m. and searched the site for more than 8 hours, state news agency Andina said. "Lead anti-corruption prosecutor Hamilton Castro left the premises carrying two boxes of documents, videosRead more

Odebrecht pulls out of pre-bids on Panama Canal bridge

Panama City - AFP

Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht has pulled out of the pre-bid qualification process to build another bridge over the Panama Canal, as part of its penalty in a bribery scandal. Odebrecht pulled out of the process that was under way to qualify as a bidder, the Panamanian government said, heeding an order to withdraw. According to the US Justice Department, theRead more

Brazil's Odebrecht 'to give Panama $59m' it paid in bribes

Panama - AFP

The Brazilian construction company Odebrecht will pay the Panamanian government more than $59 million it handed out in alleged bribes to secure public contracts, Panama’s attorney general said Thursday. “I’ve received a formal commitment, delivered verbally, to soon hand over the first $59 million paid as bribes to Panamanian individuals and entities,” Kenia Porcell told reporters. Odebrecht, she said, “hasRead more

US acting as global policeman

Washington - Arab Today

Handing out multibillion-dollar fines right and left to domestic and foreign financial giants, the United States has taken on the role of the unforgiving global cop of the business world. In stark contrast to the relative inertia of white-collar law enforcement in Europe, Washington most recently brought the hammer down on Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse, which sold junk-filled, mortgage-backedRead more

Officials raid Brazil conglomerate's Ecuador office

Quito - AFP

Ecuadorian authorities have raided the Guayaquil offices of scandal-plagued Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht, the Ecuadorian attorney general's office said in a statement. Friday's search came days after the US Department of Justice revealed that Odebrecht had paid $33.5 million to Ecuadorian officials between 2007 and 2016 as part of an international bribery scheme. During the raid authorities seized materials including folders,Read more

Brazil's Odebrecht may have damaging secrets to tell

Brasília - AFP

The corruption scandal threatening to bring down Brazil's government may only just be getting started: construction giant Odebrecht, one of the main players, is now promising to tell its dirty secrets. Odebrecht announced Tuesday it would "definitively cooperate" with the authorities, two years into an investigation that identified it as the ringleader in a cartel of contractors that colluded toRead more