Brazilian police raid ex-President’s home in fraud inquiryMarch 4, 2016 - 15:48 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Brazilian police have raided the home of ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as part of a huge fraud inquiry into the state oil company Petrobras, BBC News reports. The former president was being brought in for questioning. Lula, who left office in 2011, has denied allegations of corruption. The long-running inquiry, known as Operation Car Wash, is probing accusations of corruption and money laundering at Petrobras. Officials say some 33 search warrants and 11 detention warrants are being carried out. Some 200 federal police agents were deployed in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Bahia. Lula's house in Sao Bernardo, near Sao Paulo, was raided early on Friday, March 4. The headquarters of the former president's institute in Sao Paulo was also a target, as well as addresses linked to one of his sons, Fabio Luis. One of the lines of inquiry is that construction companies targeted by the operation could have paid for the development of Lula's ranch. Dozens of executives and politicians have been arrested or are under investigation on suspicion of overcharging contracts with Petrobras and using part of the money to pay for bribes. Lula served two terms as president and was succeeded in office by his political protege, Dilma Rousseff. Photo: AFP Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |