Brazil police search Maersk offices in corruption probe

RIO DE JANEIRO – Police on Wednesday raided Brazilian offices of Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk as part of a probe into corruption at state-run oil company Petrobras.

Maersk and its subsidiaries signed 69 shipping contracts with Petrobras worth 968 million reais ($309 million) between 2002 and 2012, according to a statement from prosecutors. Their intial estimate is that $3.4 million in bribes were paid in connection to 11 contracts. Prosecutors are also investigating two ship brokers.

In a statement, Maersk confirmed its offices in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro were searched by Brazilian Federal Police. The Copenhagen-based group said it could not comment further, citing “an ongoing investigation,” adding it will “co-operate fully with the authorities relating to the ongoing case.”

Prosecutors said they suspect Maersk and the two brokers paid bribes to receive “privileged information” from Petrobras employees in order to gain competitive advantages.

The investigation of Maersk is the 70th phase of Brazil’s sprawling Car Wash investigation that has revealed corruption in a host of contracts since 2014.