Courts, oversight, public security and accountability coverage gathered in one continuing dossier.
Brazil’s Lava Jato investigation began on March 17, 2014. Its legacy now includes cooperation agreements and convictions alongside case-specific annulments and terminated proceedings, with six new Petrobras-related convictions still open to appeal.
The 2019 collapse of Vale’s B1 tailings dam in Brumadinho killed 270 people under the count used in criminal proceedings. As hearings run through May 2027, the case remains a test of corporate accountability, regulation and mining safety in Brazil.
Operation Car Wash began as a money-laundering inquiry and grew into a far-reaching investigation of alleged corruption, cartel conduct and public contracting. More than a decade later, court decisions on jurisdiction and evidence continue to define its legal legacy.
Brazil’s Federal Police launched the first overt phase of Operation Lava Jato on March 17, 2014. Initially focused on suspected money laundering and illegal foreign-exchange activity, the inquiry later expanded into allegations involving Petrobras, major contractors and political figures. Its legacy remains significant, but legal outcomes varied case by case.
Operation Car Wash entered its first overt phase on March 17, 2014. Petrobras later recognized R$6.194 billion in improperly capitalized overpayments, while U.S. authorities found that the company and investors had been harmed by the scheme and that its disclosures misled markets.
Brazil’s Anti-Corruption Law established objective liability for legal entities and introduced fines, publication penalties and leniency agreements. Though enacted on August 1, 2013, it came into force in February 2014.
Operation Lava Jato, known internationally as Car Wash, became one of Brazil’s most consequential anti-corruption investigations. Its record includes major corporate settlements and compliance commitments, but also later Supreme Court rulings that annulled specific proceedings and excluded a category of Odebrecht-derived evidence.