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Brazil political leaders probed in Petrobras graft scandal

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Reuters BRASILIA

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's Supreme Court has agreed to investigate dozens of politicians, including the top leaders of Congress, in connection with a multibillion-dollar kickback scam at state-run oil company Petrobras, a court official said on Friday.

Senate President Renan Calheiros and Eduardo Cunha, the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, are both members of President Dilma Rousseff's governing coalition. Other prominent politicians on the prosecutors' list include ruling Workers' Party Senator Gleisi Hoffmann and former Energy Minister Edison Lobão.

Under Brazilian law, elected officials can only be tried by the Supreme Court.

(Reporting by Jeferson Ribeiro and Maria Carolina Marcello; Editing by Chris Reese)

 

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First Published: Mar 07 2015 | 5:09 AM IST

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