Jan 14 Construtora Camargo Correa SA, one of Brazil’s biggest engineering firms, is in talks with federal prosecutors for a new plea bargain deal linked to the country’s sweeping “Operation Car Wash” corruption scandal, weekly magazine Veja said on Saturday.
According to Veja, which cited people with direct knowledge of the talks, lawyers for Camargo Correa are negotiating plea deals for 40 executives, including a member of the family that controls Camargo Correa’s parent, Camargo Correa SA.
In an emailed statement to Reuters, Construtora Camargo Correa said it was the first company to seek a full leniency deal with prosecutors investigating the scandal. It promised to continue cooperating with authorities but did not comment further on the Veja report.
The media office of Brasilia-based Prosecutor General Rodrigo Janot’s office did not respond to calls seeking comment.
In August 2015, the builder agreed to return 700 million reais ($ 217 million) to state-controlled firms for damages related to bribery and price-fixing practices uncovered by the Operation Car Wash probe.
The inquiry has centered on state-controlled oil company Petróleo Brasileiro SA, commonly known as Petrobras, and has uncovered systemic corruption at other state firms and officials at the highest levels of government.
The probe has roiled Brazil’s political and business establishment, sending dozens of businessmen, politicians and officials to jail while also helping to put an end to the leftist Workers Party’s 13-year rule last year.
($ 1 = 3.2205 reais) (Reporting by Guillermo Parra-Bernal; Editing by Tom Brown)
