Brazilian police raided the offices of a company owned by the son of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Monday as part of a bribery investigation that threatens to drag his family into yet another scandal.
The Federal Police said it was investigating a group of companies that allegedly bribed officials in a tax appeals board of the Finance Ministry to influence its rulings. A police statement said evidence of bribery, extortion and influence trafficking prompted the raid.
One of the companies searched in the dawn raid, LFT Marketing Esportivo, is owned by the former president’s son Luis Claudio. Police officers left the firm’s Sao Paulo offices after two hours carrying seized documents, neighbors said, according to local press reports.
Lula is himself under investigation for influence-trafficking after he left office in 2010 as Brazil’s most popular president. His reputation has been tarnished by a massive kickback scandal at state-run oil company Petrobras that has landed the treasurer of his Workers’ Party in jail and led to the investigation of dozens of his political allies.
Brazil Energy Insight 
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