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Operation Car Wash began in 2014 as a financial-crimes inquiry and grew into Brazil’s most consequential corruption investigation. Its legacy includes findings about Petrobras contracting and a Supreme Court sequence that voided convictions against Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva without deciding the underlying allegations.
Brazil’s Federal Police have arrested six people and searched 26 locations in an investigation into suspected irregularities involving contracts and payments at Mato Grosso’s state audit court. The inquiry is at a preliminary stage and no charges or findings of guilt have been identified.
Brazilian federal agencies have carried out separate operations against unauthorized gold mining in Rondônia and Pará, disabling dredges and land-based equipment while investigations seek to identify the financial and logistical networks involved.
Eletrobras’ privatization was consummated on June 17, 2022, ending the federal government’s role as controlling shareholder. The transaction combined a capital increase with a secondary share sale and imposed a 10% voting cap on any shareholder or group, creating a company without a defined controller.
Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court upheld the annulment of convictions against Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in April 2021 because the Curitiba court lacked jurisdiction over the cases. The decision was not an acquittal on the underlying allegations, and it came amid a broader Lava Jato record that included independently substantiated Petrobras-related bribery and procurement misconduct.
Brazil’s pre-salt oil fields have moved from a major discovery announced in 2007 to the source of about 80% of national oil production in 2025, underpinning the country’s net oil exports.
Brazil recorded 2,874.38 square kilometers of Amazon deforestation alerts from August 2025 through July 2026, down 36% from the prior DETER cycle. The rapid-alert measure guides enforcement and is distinct from INPE’s annual Prodes assessment.
Brazil’s Superior Court of Justice has reinstated former Vale CEO Fábio Schvartsman as a defendant and rejected requests to halt cases against four engineers. The rulings concern procedure in ongoing criminal trials, not findings of guilt. Separately, Vale says it had disbursed R$34.8 billion under the Brumadinho reparation agreement by the end of 2025.
Clear, independent and in context.
Explore explainers →A structured path through monetary policy, public finance, employment, markets and the forces shaping Brazil’s economy.
Special coverageAmazon, Resources & ClimateEnvironment, agribusiness, energy, infrastructure and the trade-offs surrounding Brazil’s natural-resource economy.
Special coverageInstitutions & AccountabilityCourts, oversight, public security and accountability coverage gathered in one continuing dossier.
Brazil guideWhat Is the Selic Rate? A Guide to Brazil’s Interest RatesA practical guide to Brazil’s benchmark interest rate, the Central Bank and why monetary policy matters to investors, companies and households.
Brazil guideWhat Is Petrobras? Brazil’s Energy Giant ExplainedA reader guide to Petrobras, its role in Brazil’s energy economy, governance, investment strategy and international significance.
Brazil guideThe Amazon and Deforestation in Brazil: What to KnowA guide to the Amazon, deforestation data, environmental enforcement, climate policy and the international consequences of changes in forest loss.
From major scandals to market turning points, political changes, jobs, industry and international movements — with dates and context made explicit.
