Brazil's top court convicts ex-President Collor on money laundering, corruption

Brasilia, May 19

Brazil’s Supreme Court voted on Thursday to convict former President Fernando Collor de Mello on corruption and money-laundering charges.

Six of the court’s 10 judges voted to convict Collor, 73, who was impeached in 1992 on corruption charges.

While Thursday’s vote meant his conviction was certain, the remaining four judges will vote on Wednesday when the session resumes. At that time, the justices will also decide on Collor’s sentence, which could include jail time.

The latest charges against Collor are an outgrowth of the so-called Car Wash probe which sent dozens of politicians and business leaders to jail, including several former presidents.

The Brazilian prosecutor’s office accused Collor of having received around 30 million reais ($6 million) in bribes from a subsidiary of state-run oil company Petrobras.

The former president’s lawyers told local media G1 that Collor “did not commit any crime” and expressed confidence that he would ultimately be exonerated. Collor himself could not immediately be reached for comment.