Brazil ex-speaker Eduardo Cunha jailed for 15 years

[Judi Lynn]

6 hours ago


A judge has sentenced the former speaker of the lower house of the Brazilian Congress, Eduardo Cunha, to 15 years and four months in prison.

Cunha was found guilty of corruption, money laundering and tax evasion.

He led the impeachment process against President Dilma Rousseff and was one of Brazil's most powerful politicians before his arrest in October.

Judge Sergio Moro said he should be held in custody even while appeals are under way.

'No bigger crime'

Judge Moro argued that, even though Cunha no longer held political office, there was a risk he could continue engaging in corruption, intimidation and extortion.


http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-39442005

[Judi Lynn]

1. Brazilian politician who orchestrated ousting of Rousseff sentenced to prison

Former lower house speaker Eduardo Cunha convicted over role in Car Wash corruption scandal and given 15 years in prison, which could be appealed


Reuters in São Paulo
Thursday 30 March 2017 13.43 EDT

Eduardo Cunha, the former head of Brazil’s lower house of congress, has been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison for his role in the vast Car Wash corruption scandal.

Cunha’s conviction led to one of the stiffest penalties handed down to such a senior politician since the end of the dictatorship era in 1985, but public satisfaction with the judgment will be mixed with concern that he could yet win an appeal and that many other powerful figures accused of similar crimes remain unpunished.

Sergio Moro, a Curitiba lower court judge, found Cunha – a rightwing evangelical Christian – guilty of corruption, money laundering and currency law evasion in connection with a $1.6m bribe he received from a deal by the state-run oil firm Petrobras to buy exploration rights in Benin. The judgment also noted a pending case in Switzerland related to $2.3m stashed in a secret bank account in the European country.

“The responsibility of a federal parliamentarian is enormous, and so, therefore, is his guilt when he commits crimes. There can be no more serious offence than the betrayal for personal gain of a parliamentary mandate and the sacred trust of the people,” the judged noted in his ruling.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/30/brazil-eduardo-cunha-guilty-prison-dilma-rousseff-impeachment