By CGTN America
Brazil’s Federal Police launched on Tuesday another phase of the “Operation Car Wash” probe into corruption involving Brazil’s national oil company Petrobras and some of the country’s biggest contractors and top politicians. Three years after the investigation began, signs are there’s still a lot more to come.
The unfinished metro line in this northern suburb of São Paulo is example of how the three-year Car Wash probe has affected ordinary citizens here. Construction stopped months ago, because the contractor – caught up in the Car Wash operation – has been unable to get more funding.
Brazilian anti-corruption judge Sergio Moro, heading the Car Wash operation, speaks during a press conference in Lima, Peru on February 23, 2017. /CFP Photo
Similar problems have affected at least 11 major infrastructure projects across Brazil, affecting ordinary people.
Economists said the investigation makes it even harder for Brazil to get out of recession. “We used to have an investment of 21 percent of the GDP. It shrank to 15 percent in 2016. So it’s a big drop in investment in infrastructure and this puts a strain in growth in Brazil,” Simao Siber, economics professor at University of São Paulo said.
Car Wash Operation is the biggest anti-corruption probe ever held in Brazil. It’s been going on for three years with wide-ranging impact on the country’s economy and politics and where it will end is still unclear.
There were hopes that the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff last year would help resolve the country’s political crises. But the continued stream of allegations against government officials – including her successor Michel Temer – means the disruptions will continue with no end in sight.
