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Transparency had only recently celebrated the finding by Brazil ’s federal prosecution service that claims it had sought to benefit from fines paid by companies to settle corruption cases were unfounded. But supreme court justice Dias Toffoli – who had instigated the original inquiry – decided to continue the investigation anyway. Transparency categorically rejects the claims it did anything wrong and dismisses the investigation as harassment. It believes it is being targeted because of its previous high-profile support for the anti-corruption effort that came to be symbolised by the historic Car Wash probe. “It is worrying but also a signal that we are on the right path,” says Bruno Brandão, the organisation’s executive director in Brazil. [ Rot at heart of Brazilian democracy exposed amid dark charges against Bolsonaro and military Opens in new window ] Transparency’s recent travails are an illustration of how the subsequent implosion of Car Wash, which uncovered evidence of multibillion-euro kickback schemes involving Brazilian companies, has seen the country’s fight against corruption go into reverse. The accusations made against Transparency have been levelled by Brazilian meat-processing giant J&F, one of whose owners infamously recorded himself on tape discussing bribes with then-president Michel Temer. J&F is now seeking the fines levelled against it after it confessed multiple crimes annulled. The case is before Toffoli who has declined to recuse himself even though his wife Roberta Rangel represents J&F. With most Brazilians no longer much interested in cases that once obsessed the nation, this conflict of interests causes little indignation. Brazil is a society that for now seems resigned to official impunity after the tumultuous heave against corruption of the last decade ended with the judges and prosecutors who led it in disgrace. Brazil’s supreme court had always been a somewhat reluctant supporter of Car Wash, forced to follow the path blazed by crusading judge Sergio Moro and the team of federal prosecutors in southern Brazil which targeted companies that won public contracts by paying kickbacks and the politicians who received them. [ Over 160 workers in ‘slavery-like conditions’ found at BYD factory site in Brazil Opens in new window ] Moro oversaw a sophisticated public relations campaign to win over public opinion and thus the space to pick holes in decades of jurisprudence that ensured the rich and powerful were rarely punished for wrongdoing. But the operation started to unravel after revelations in the media of illegal collusion between Moro and Car Wash prosecutors. This provided the supreme court the excuse to move against them under cover of correcting the errors and excesses it had tolerated when Moro enjoyed the status of national hero. “Did the crimes revealed by Car Wash happen? Of course they did. Nobody doubts there was a corruption scheme involving some of Brazil’s biggest companies and political parties. Car Wash revealed so much,” says Eloísa Machado de Almeida, professor of constitutional law at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in São Paulo. “But the judiciary missed its opportunity to make Car Wash a great example of the republican application of the law. It was a great chance for the country to rethink all these [corrupt] practices. But it was a huge waste as Car Wash collapsed because of its own errors.” While acknowledging the operation’s errors, Transparency’s Brandão sees an alternative explanation for the supreme court’s move against Car Wash. “In fact the operation was only liquidated when it reached the judiciary and threatened to reveal corruption among judges in the higher courts. The legislature and executive were unable to halt it. But the judiciary was.” [ Brazil’s president Lula leaves hospital after brain surgery Opens in new window ] Supreme court justice Toffoli is central to this interpretation of history. He has been the most prominent member of the supreme court in overturning convictions in lower court. This included his unilateral decision to annul evidence of wrongdoing provided by executives from the construction giant Odebrecht. Among the evidence tossed was an email in which Car Wash’s most notorious witness – Odebrecht’s president – asked two colleagues whether a deal had been reached with “the friend of the friend of my father”, whom he later told prosecutors referred to Toffoli, then Brazil’s attorney general. The shifting fates of Car Wash at the hands of a supreme court that appears more attentive to politics than jurisprudence also highlights the potential risks in the future for other high-profile cases, including the investigation into former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro for allegedly plotting a coup to overturn his defeat in 2022′s presidential election. This is because the process against Bolsonaro and his circle of serving and retired generals is being conducted by Toffoli’s supreme court colleague Alexandre de Moraes. In this role, he has taken on the task of lead investigator as well as judge in a case in which he also figures as one of the potential victims of the plotters, allegedly having been targeted for assassination. Critics have warned that this confusion of roles risks leaving the case open to similar charges of judicial overreach that Moro faced and could provide grounds for appeal and the eventual overturning of any future conviction. But in an echo of the euphoria that gripped the country when seeing powerful businessmen and politicians arrested for corruption, Moraes has become something of a national hero for facing down Bolsonaro’s coup-mongering, even among those on the left who denounced him as a “fascist” when he was first appointed to the court in 2017. He has shown no sign of recusing himself from the case and instead appears to be enjoying the protagonist role it has brought him. [ Man jailed for 10 years after admitting smuggling €21.6m cocaine on cargo ship from Brazil Opens in new window ] Moraes has already ensured Bolsonaro’s exclusion from running for public office until 2030 because of his public efforts to undermine the presidential election he lost in 2022. But the former president remains the biggest vote-getter on the right, and he and his circle have made clear they will seek the promise of amnesty from anyone seeking his endorsement in the 2026 presidential election. His supporters are also using Moraes’s handling of the cases against Bolsonaro as an excuse to launch impeachment proceedings against him. For now Bolsonaro and his coterie are facing almost certain trial, given the evidence federal police have already gathered of their coup-plotting. But a political swing back towards the right after 2026 could create the political conditions for the unwinding of another investigation that uncovered evidence of wrongdoing but in the shadow of accusations of judicial overreach. Standing in the way of the hard right’s hopes of a return to power is President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the country’s most popular politician of recent decades. He staged one of the great political comebacks, emerging from 580 days in jail after his conviction by Moro, to evict Bolsonaro from the presidency, benefiting from the supreme court’s move to kill Car Wash. But he will be 81 at the next election and a majority of Brazilians tell pollsters they do not want him to seek a fourth term. Without him, the race between left and right will likely be far more competitive. The future of the judicial cases facing Bolsonaro should not depend on the political weather. But in Brazil it almost certainly does.Fresh plea in SC seeks probe into US indictment of Gautam Adani PTI Updated: November 24th, 2024, 17:21 IST in Business , National 0 File Image Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on WhatsApp Share on Linkedin New Delhi: A fresh plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a probe into the indictment of billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani who has been charged in the US for alleged bribery and fraud, saying the move “unveiled malpractices carried out by the conglomerate”. The plea has been filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari as an interlocutory application in the batch of pleas in the Adani-Hindenburg row over allegations of stock price manipulation by the Indian corporate giant. Also Read Mcap of 8 of top-10 most-valued domestic firms jumps Rs 1.55 lakh cr; HDFC Bank, TCS sparkle 3 hours ago PM Modi to participate in ‘Odisha Parba 2024’ in New Delhi today 4 hours ago The US Department of Justice has accused Adani of being part of an elaborate scheme to pay $265 million (about Rs 2,200 crore) bribe to Indian officials in exchange for favourable terms for solar power contracts in four Indian states. The Adani Group has denied the charge, saying the allegations levelled by the US prosecutors are baseless and that the conglomerate is compliant with all laws. It also vowed to pursue all possible legal recourse. In his plea before the apex court, Tiwari contended that the allegations against Adani are of “serious nature” and should be investigated by the Indian authorities. “The SEBI has to inspire confidence by concluding the investigations and placing on record the report and conclusion of the probes. As there were allegations of short selling in the SEBI investigation and the present allegations levelled by the foreign authorities might have connection or may not have, but SEBI’s investigation report should clear this so that the investors may not loose confidence,” the plea said. PTI Tags: ADANI Gautam Adani Supreme Court Share Tweet Send Share Suggest A Correction Enter your email to get our daily news in your inbox. Leave this field empty if you're human:
BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — Tre Carroll scored 18 points off the bench to lead Florida Atlantic to an 89-80 victory over Texas State on Saturday. Carroll shot 7 of 9 from the field and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line for the Owls (7-5). Niccolo Moretti scored 15 points, shooting 4 of 6 from the field and 6 for 7 from the line. Matas Vokietaitis shot 5 of 8 from the field and 3 of 8 from the free-throw line to finish with 13 points. The Bobcats (7-4) were led by Tyler Morgan, who posted 19 points, six rebounds and five assists. Tylan Pope added 14 points and three blocks. Josh O'Garro finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. Texas State had a five-game win streak end. Florida Atlantic took the lead with 51 seconds to go in the first half and never looked back. The score was 43-40 at halftime, with Vokietaitis racking up 11 points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
Cheapest shop to buy Baileys this week as another two supermarkets slash prices
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A motorist says he "still can't get rid of the stench" in his car following a sewage spill on the M8 - despite taking his vehicle through a car wash twice. The westbound slip road on the M8 at junction 25A for Braehead was shut due to “contaminated water” on the route at around 8.30am on Friday. Scottish Water said a burst sewer main caused some localised flooding of the carriageway and surrounding area near Braehead Shopping Centre in Renfrewshire. One motorist said on social media that his car had been “completely engulfed in raw sewage”. He added: “Been through car wash twice now and still heavily contaminated and stench is terrible.” People travelling to the shopping centre were advised to leave the M8 at J26 and take Renfrew Road to the mall. Scottish Water said at 5pm on Friday the road had reopened following a clean-up. The firm said in a statement: “Scottish Water used all resources available to complete this work and enable the road to be reopened as quickly as possible in order to help alleviate traffic congestion in the area. “The utility, which is now planning repair work for the burst main in liaison with Amey Highways, apologises for the inconvenience and disruption to road users, and thanks them for their patience and understanding during this incident.” Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile , select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond. Sign up to our daily newsletter .