Lava Jato Main Suspect Youssef‘s Plea Bargain Revealed

By Lisa Flueckiger, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The details of the plea bargain of black market money dealer and Lava Jato (car wash) scandal mastermind Alberto Youssef have been revealed on Wednesday, January 21st. Youssef will receive a maximum sentence of five years if he cooperates with the investigators.

Youssef, who has been identified as the main character in the corruption and money laundering scandal involving contracts with oil giant Petrobras, has been arrested in March 2014 by the Federal Police in Curitiba. Since his arrest he has offered his help in naming others involved in the scheme.

In the plea bargain that Youssef entered, he is required to hand over several goods, such as real estate, vehicles and participation in companies. In return, he will face a maximum of five years in prison with a direct passage into open-regime imprisonment (without passing through the semi-open stage).

However, the deal that was signed in December 2014 is only valid if Youssef’s testimonies lead to charges against other suspects in the scandal, such as politicians and executives. Therefore, the information he gives has to be substantial and truthful. If he is caught lying 1 to 4 years can be added to his sentence for false accusations.

Furthermore, Youssef will be on parole for another ten years after he completed his prison sentence.

Accusations that were already made against politicians will only be dealt by the Supreme Federal Court (STF) in February when the court enters in session. The executives and ex-employees of Petrobras had their accusations accepted by the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office and have already turned into defendants in a criminal lawsuit.