SAO PAULO – A former mayor and governor of Sao Paulo state turned himself in to Brazilian police Wednesday to begin serving a nearly eight-year sentence for money laundering.

Paulo Maluf surrendered a day after Supreme Court Judge Edson Fachin turned down an appeal of his 93-month sentence and ruled he had to report to prison. Fachin also ruled that the 86-year-old should be stripped of his current congressional seat.

Maluf was sentenced to jail for taking more than $15 million in bribes and kickbacks when commissioning the construction of a highway and other projects as mayor of Sao Paulo between 1993 and 1996.

Maluf also served as governor of the state of Sao Paulo from 1979 to 1982, and was first elected to congress in 2006 under the centre-right Progressive Party banner.

He has long been dogged by corruption allegations.

Prosecutors have said that some of the alleged kickback money he was found guilty of receiving helped finance his unsuccessful 1998 re-election campaign for the Sao Paulo state governorship.

His lawyer said he would appeal Fachin’s ruling.