Background

Operation Lava Jato and the Odebrecht cases

Lava Jato

• Operation Lava Jato began in Curitiba in 2014, and the federal prosecutors' task force's work dates from March 2014.^4,5
• Paulo Roberto Costa, a former Petrobras director arrested in March 2014, was the operation's first cooperating defendant.⁶
• The Curitiba task force ceased to exist and from 1 February 2021 its members were incorporated into the federal prosecutors' organised crime unit (Gaeco).^4,5
• Agência Lusa reported that the Curitiba team ran 79 operations, filed 130 complaints against 533 accused, obtained 174 convictions and recovered about R$4.3 billion. OCCRP reported 278 convictions and about US$800 million returned.^4,5
• On 8 March 2021 Justice Edson Fachin annulled Lula's convictions, holding that the Curitiba court lacked jurisdiction.⁷
• On 23 March 2021 the STF Second Panel found by 3 votes to 2 that former judge Sergio Moro was partial in the triplex case against Lula, and on 23 June 2021 the STF plenary upheld that finding.^7,33
• On 27 January 2022 a Federal District court archived the triplex case against Lula as time-barred.^34,35
• On 6 September 2023 Justice Dias Toffoli declared the evidence from Odebrecht's leniency agreement with the Curitiba task force unusable (Reclamação 43007), and called Lula's arrest one of the biggest judicial errors in the country's history.^8,9
• Toffoli later extended annulments of Curitiba acts to Marcelo Odebrecht (May 2024) and Antonio Palocci (February 2025, upheld by the Second Panel 3 to 2 in August 2025), and Justice Gilmar Mendes extended the Moro partiality finding to José Dirceu (October 2024).^10,11,32,12

Odebrecht

• On 21 December 2016 Odebrecht and Braskem pleaded guilty in the United States and agreed to pay combined global penalties of at least US$3.5 billion, which the US Justice Department called the largest-ever global foreign bribery resolution.¹
• The US Justice Department said Odebrecht paid approximately US$788 million in bribes to government officials and others in countries on three continents, in a scheme beginning as early as 2001.^1,2
• Braskem agreed to a US$632 million criminal penalty and US$325 million in SEC disgorgement, about US$957 million in total.¹
• According to EFE, citing the US documents, the bribes by country were about US$349 million in Brazil, US$98 million in Venezuela, US$92 million in the Dominican Republic, US$59 million in Panama, more than US$50 million in Angola, more than US$35.5 million in Ecuador, more than US$35 million in Argentina, US$29 million in Peru, about US$18 million in Guatemala, more than US$11 million in Colombia, about US$10.5 million in Mexico and US$900,000 in Mozambique.³

Sources

1. US Department of Justice, Odebrecht and Braskem Plead Guilty and Agree to Pay at Least $3.5 Billion in Global Penalties to Resolve Largest Foreign Bribery Case in History (21 December 2016)
2. OCCRP, Companies Pay Record Fines over Petrobras Scandal (22 December 2016)
3. Diario Financiero / EFE, Odebrecht pagó sobornos por US$ 788 millones en 12 países de América Latina y África (EFE) (22 December 2016)
4. Observador / Lusa, Principal núcleo de investigação da Lava Jato é encerrado no Brasil (Lusa) (3 February 2021)
5. OCCRP, Brazil Dismantles Anti-Corruption Task Force Behind Lava Jato (8 February 2021)
6. A Gazeta / Folhapress, Morre Paulo Roberto Costa, ex-diretor da Petrobras e 1º delator da Lava Jato (Folhapress) (13 August 2022)
7. Migalhas, STF: Moro foi parcial ao condenar Lula (23 June 2021)
8. Correio Braziliense, Toffoli anula provas do acordo de leniência da Lava Jato com Odebrecht (6 September 2023)
9. Congresso em Foco, Toffoli anula todas as provas contra Lula em acordos da Lava Jato (6 September 2023)
10. O Povo / Agência Estado, Condenados na Lava Jato planejam retorno à vida pública após absolvições (Agência Estado) (23 May 2024)
11. Migalhas, Ministro Dias Toffoli anula atos da Lava Jato contra Palocci (19 February 2025)
12. InfoMoney, Gilmar Mendes anula todas as condenações de Moro a José Dirceu na Lava Jato (29 October 2024)
13. El Peruano, Toledo es sentenciado a 20 años y seis meses de prisión (22 October 2024)
14. Canal N, Alejandro Toledo condenado a 13 años y 4 meses por caso Ecoteva (3 September 2025)
15. El Peruano, Caso Cócteles: TC declara fundada demanda de Keiko Fujimori (20 October 2025)
16. RPP, PJ autorizó inicio del juicio oral contra Pedro Pablo Kuczynski por el caso Westfield Capital vinculado con Odebrecht (1 September 2025)
17. Swissinfo / AFP, El expresidente peruano Alan García se suicida cuando iba a ser detenido por caso Odebrecht (17 April 2019)
18. El Tiempo, Exviceministro será el primer condenado por sobornos de Odebrecht (15 January 2017)
19. Portafolio, Condenan a 11 años de prisión a José Elías Melo por el caso Odebrecht (29 April 2019)
20. Primicias, Odebrecht: Jorge Glas y Ricardo Rivera, únicos sentenciados que siguen presos (9 November 2021)
21. La Nación / Europa Press, Ecuador: La Justicia de Ecuador niega el habeas corpus al exvicepresidente Jorge Glas (Europa Press) (29 December 2025)
22. US Department of Justice, Panama Intermediaries Each Sentenced to 36 Months in Prison for International Bribery and Money Laundering Scheme (20 May 2022)
23. Metro Puerto Rico / EFE, Histórico juicio por Odebrecht en Panamá: 23 imputados al banquillo, incluido Martinelli (EFE) (12 January 2026)
24. N+, No hubo acuerdo: Emilio Lozoya va a juicio por caso Odebrecht (10 March 2023)
25. El Día, Dos condenados en 2021 por Odebrecht (29 December 2021)
26. Diario Libre, Ratifican condena a Díaz Rúa en caso Odebrecht (19 May 2023)
27. El Nuevo Diario, Rondón somete recurso de casación en busca de anular sentencia que lo condena en caso Odebrecht (14 December 2023)
28. La República, Ollanta Humala sale de Barbadillo tras resolución del Tribunal Constitucional (31 July 2026)
29. América TV, Poder Judicial archivó proceso contra Nadine Heredia (13 August 2026)
30. Caretas, Poder Judicial cierra definitivamente el Caso Cócteles a favor de Keiko Fujimori y Fuerza Popular (17 June 2026)
31. TVN Panamá, Tema: Baloisa Marquínez (topic page) (22 July 2026)
32. Gazeta do Povo, Nunes Marques dá voto decisivo e mantém anulação de atos da Lava Jato contra Palocci (15 August 2025)
33. Dizer o Direito, Entenda a decisão do STF que anulou os processos contra Lula (May 2021)
34. IstoÉ Dinheiro, Juíza arquiva ação contra Lula no caso do triplex (28 January 2022)
35. Gazeta do Povo, Justiça do DF arquiva caso do triplex do Guarujá atribuído a Lula na Lava Jato (28 January 2022)