Brazil ex-president Lula and wife face charges in corruption scandal

Federal prosecutors in Brazil have asked a judge to file corruption charges against former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The prosecutors had been investigating whether Lula and his wife failed to declare ownership of a luxury penthouse in the seaside resort of Guaruja.

He has denied owning the flat and says the case is politically motivated.

The flat was built by a construction company implicated in a corruption scandal at state oil company Petrobras.

"Lula was the big boss of the Petrobras corruption scheme. Lula was on top of the power pyramid," prosecutor Deltan Dalagnol said at a news conference in Curitiba on Wednesday Sep 14,2016

"Lula appointed several senior executives at Petrobras so that they could raise funds for political parties in the governing coalition [through corruption].

"Without Lula's decision power, it would be impossible for this scheme to exist," the prosecutor added.

Note

A former union leader, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva(70)served as president from 2003 to 2010.

He announced plans earlier this year to run for office again in 2018 but in July he was indicted on charges of obstructing investigations into Petrobras.

His successor as president, Dilma Rousseff, was dismissed by the Senate on Aug 31,2016 after an impeachment trial.