Brazil police investigate former president’s nephew

SAO PAULO – Brazilian authorities are investigating a nephew of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in connection with a money-laundering and influence-trafficking scheme.

Federal Police said in a Friday statement that investigators are looking into contracts signed by Odebrecht, Brazil’s largest construction company, and Exergia Brasil, a small construction firm owned by Taiguara Rodrigues dos Santos. Dos Santos is the nephew of Silva’s late first wife.

The former president is not a target of this probe, but Attorney General Rodrigo Janot has filed charges at the Supreme Court saying that Silva tried to obstruct investigations into the massive corruption-kickback scheme at state-owned oil company Petrobras.

According to the statement, Odebrecht received $464 million from Brazil’s National Development bank to renovate a hydroelectric project in Angola. Of that amount, Odebrecht paid nearly $1 million to Exergia Brasil.

Police say they are investigating if between 2011 and 2014 Odebrecht paid bribes to Exergia, “a company belonging to a relative of a former public agent” to facilitate obtaining loans from the development bank.

A Federal Police agent said the “public agent” was Silva.

The case is not related to the engulfing Petrobras, but Odebrecht is one of the construction companies prosecutors say paid bribes to the oil company in return for winning inflated contracts.