The detention of Brazil’s former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva marks a new stage in the corruption probe that has all but paralyzed the government for the past two years. Meanwhile, as that drags on, the economy keeps spiraling downward. One way or another, Brazil urgently needs to resolve the scandals and turn its focus back to the economy.
Lula, whom U.S. President Barack Obama once called the world’smost popular politician, now tops the Who’s Who of Brazilian leaders caught up in the investigation of a vast influence-peddling and kickback scheme involving the state-controlled oil company Petrobras. (He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.) Others ensnared include tycoons in construction and finance, the heads of the legislature, the former treasurer of the ruling Workers’ Party, and the chief campaign strategist of Lula and his successor and protege President Dilma Rousseff.
Brazil Energy Insight 
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