José Dirceu Re-Arrested In Connection With Petrobras Scandal

Dirceu is suspected of having benefited from money diversion scandal at Petrobras.

The Brazilian Federal Police arrested former minister José Dirceu on Monday. Dirceu was one of the most influential men in the government of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva who had been convicted of corruption back in 2005, for his alleged involvement in irregularities in Petrobras.

Dirceu was sentenced to ten years and eleven months in prison by the scandal of kickbacks uncovered in the first term of Lula and now, as confirmed by the police, was arrested because of suspicions that he benefited from the diversion of money occurred in the oil state company Petrobras.

The former MP, who was Minister of the Presidency between 2003 and 2005, was arrested at his residence in Brasilia, where he had been serving a six month house arrest sentence after spending a year and a half in prison.

Luis R. Miranda is an award-winning journalist and the founder and editor-in-chief at The Real Agenda. His career spans over 18 years and almost every form of news media. His articles include subjects such as environmentalism, Agenda 21, climate change, geopolitics, globalisation, health, vaccines, food safety, corporate control of governments, immigration and banking cartels, among others. Luis has worked as a news reporter, on-air personality for Live and Live-to-tape news programs. He has also worked as a script writer, producer and co-producer on broadcast news. Read more about Luis.