A long series of criminal investigations have occurred in Brazil associated with the anti-corruption probe Operation Car Wash, since the first one began in March 2014. These investigations are considered offshoots of the original phased investigations.

Background

Operation Car Wash () is an ongoing investigation into money laundering and political corruption in Brazil, which has been led by investigative judges, and carried out by the Federal Police.

Since its initiation in March 2014, many supplemental investigations that were offshoots of the original one have been conducted by the Public Prosecutor's Office, the Attorney General's Office and the Federal Police from documents collected from search warrants, depositions from condução coercitiva warrants, and documents and testimony obtained through plea bargaining (delação premiada).

It has resulted in more than a thousand judicial warrants being served for three investigative judges. Politicians from Brazil's largest parties, including former presidents of Brazil, presidents of the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate, and state governors are involved, as well as businessmen from large Brazilian companies. Originally a money laundering investigation, it expanded to cover allegations of corruption at the state-controlled oil company Petrobras, where executives allegedly accepted bribes in return for awarding contracts to construction firms at inflated prices. At the time Petrobras had more debt and a higher market valuation that any other corporation. It accounted for more than an eighth of all investment in Brazil. The investigation is called "Operation Car Wash" because it was first uncovered at a car wash in Brasília. The Federal Police have called it the largest corruption investigation in the country's history. The investigation later spread well beyond its origins in the state of Rio de Janeiro to include systemic kickbacks in many sectors and levels of the Brazilian business world. More than £1.4 billion was siphoned from the economy, but Global Witness says that the cost to the country is as much as 800% more.

The goal of the investigation is to ascertain the extent of a money laundering scheme, estimated to be (US$– billion), largely through embezzlement of Petrobras funds. At least eleven other countries, mostly in Latin America, were involved, and the Brazilian companies JBS S.A. and Odebrecht were also deeply implicated.Kurtenbach, S., & Nolte, D. (2017). Latin America's Fight against Corruption: The End of Impunity. GIGA Focus Lateinamerika, (03).

In Brazil

2015

Operation Politeia

On 14 July 2015, the Federal Police started Operation Politeia, issuing 53 search and seizure warrants at the homes of politicians involved in the Petrobras corruption scheme. After searches at 40 addresses in seven different states (including the Federal District), the Federal Police seized three luxury cars at the mansion owned by Fernando Collor de Mello and R$ 3.67 million ($) in cash.

In addition to Collor search and arrest warrants were served on Senators Fernando Bezerra Coelho (PSB-PE) and (PP-PI), Federal Deputy Eduardo da Fonte (PP-PE), former Minister of Cities Mário Negromonte (PP-BA) and former Federal Deputy (PP-SC).

Arrest of Delcídio do Amaral

On 25 November 2015, the Federal Police arrested Senator Delcídio do Amaral for trying to impede the colaboração premiada (rewarded collaboration) of former Petrobras director about the senator's alleged participation in irregularities in the purchase of Pasadena Refining System in the state of Texas. Police said in 2015 that they had found evidence of $15 million in bribes related to the purchase of the refinery Petrobras first held a 50% share of the refinery, then later bought the other half as well, as a result of a dispute with its partner, Astra Oil, which had purchased the entire refinery in 2005 for US$42.5 million. A year later Petrobras bought a half interest in the refinery for US$360 million. They wound up paying $820.6 in 2012 when a US court enforced a provision of the sales contract. In January 2019 Petrobras signed a sale agreement for their interest in Pasadena Refinery, as well as three refineries he in Brazil, Abreu e Lima (RNEST), (RLAM), Presidente Getúlio Vargas (REPAR) and Alberto Pasqualini (REFAP).

Cervero was sentenced 17 August 2015 to 12 years in prison for money laundering and corruption for a bribe paid to the speaker of the lower house by Samsung Heavy Industries for two drillship contracts. Cervero had previously been sentenced to five years for using a shell company to launder money stolen from Petrobras and buy a luxury apartment in Rio de Janeiro. Petrobras fired him in 2014.

According to investigators, Delcídio offered Cerveró an opportunity to escape, so that he wouldn't testify against him in return for a reduced sentence. The authorities saw this as an attempt to obstruct justice. A recording made by Cerveró's son showed the Senator's intention to interfere in the investigations and offer the former executive escape so that he would not talk. In addition to Delcídio do Amaral and his chief of staff, two others were also arrested in the affair; banker André Esteves, then CEO of BTG Pactual, and Nestor Cerveró's defense lawyer Edson Ribeiro.

Brazil's currency fell 2% on news of the arrests. BTG is Latin America's largest investment bank, and Delcídio had been head of the Senate economic affairs committee, deeply involved with proposed austerity measures.

Operation Craton

On 8 December 2015, Operation Craton, an offshoot of Operation Car Wash launched to combat the illegal exploitation of diamonds on Cinta Larga indigenous lands in Rondônia. About 200 federal police officers served 90 warrants, including 11 pre-trial detention, 41 search and seizure and 35 condução coercitiva warrants. Warrants were served in the Federal District, Rondônia, Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, Bahia, Mato Grosso and Pará. Information on the extraction of the precious stones was obtained during investigations against the money changer , owner of the "Posto da Torre" car wash in Brasília for which Operation Car Wash was named.

Operation Barren Lives

On 11 December 2015, federal police launched Operation Barren Lives ( ) as an offshoot of Operation Car Wash. It investigated invoice padding for works on the São Francisco River. There were 32 court orders, 24 of which were for search and seizure, four for temporary arrest and four for condução coercitiva warrants. The president of Construtora OAS, Elmar Varjão, was held in São Paulo, and executives of Coesa Engenharia, Barbosa Melo and , were arrested in the operation. According to investigators, entrepreneurs used shell companies to divert at least $200 million. The value of the investigated contracts is R$680 million ($).The Federal Police also pointed to the participation of , a company belonging to former Minister José Dirceu, arrested in Operation Car Wash. The Federal Police's regional superintendent in Pernambuco, Marcelo Diniz, said the PF had found a transfer of R$586,000 ($) from Galvão Engenharia to JD Consultoria.

Operation Catiline Orations

On 15 December 2015, the Federal Police launched a new offshoot of Operation Car Wash, dubbed "Operation Catiline Orations" (), serving search and seizure warrants at the official residence of Deputy Eduardo Cunha (PMDB – Rio de Janeiro), in Brasília. Warrants were also served at Rio de Janeiro addresses of the PMDB. Police also carried out a search and arrest warrants at the homes of Federal Deputy (PMDB -Ceará) and Minister of Science and Technology .

Others involved in the operation are Senator Edison Lobão (PMDB – Maranhão), former Minister of Mines and Energy; Henrique Eduardo Alves (PMDB – Rio Grande do Norte), then Minister of Tourism and Sérgio Machado, a former president of Transpetro named by PMDB. The main purpose of the Federal Police was to prevent destruction of evidence. Documents were seized in Recife, Brejão, Agreste, and Petrolina, in Sertão. All seized material was sent to Recife and then to Brasília.

Operation Black Blood

On 17 December 2015, investigated money diverted from Petrobras contracts since 1997. The lawsuit relates to investigations into a bribery scheme involving the Dutch company SBM Offshore and the Brazilian state-owned oil company. Four pre-trial detention warrants were served, two of which were against former directors arrested in Operation Car Wash, and . Police searched the homes of the respondents and the offices of Petroserv, an oil prospecting company. According to the investigations, Petroserv received transfers of 3% to 5% of games contracts from Petrobras and, of this total, sent 1% to accounts of companies abroad. Investigators point out that this money was laundered and remitted to Brazil as a bribe. In June this year, former SBM representative in Brazil Júlio Faerman, whistleblower and one of the scheme operators investigated by Lava Jato. told the that he guaranteed "significant gains" to the Brazilian state-owned company while acting on behalf of the Dutch company. A month earlier, CPI members went to London to gather testimony from Jonathan David Taylor, a former SBM director who reported irregularities in contracts signed between the Dutch company and Petrobras.

2016

Operation Recipient

On 26 February 2016, Operation Recipient () investigated an alleged bribery and fraud scheme in the construction of the and based on evidence gathered in Operation Car Wash. In all, the Federal Police served seven condução coercitiva warrants and 44 search and arrest warrants in six states—Paraná, Maranhão, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Goiás—and the Federal District. The operation, by the Federal Prosecutor's Office and the Federal Police in Goiás, targeted contracts signed between the state-owned company , responsible for railway construction, and contractors investigated in the oil industry, such as Odebrecht, Brazilian industrial conglomerate , , , , Grupo Camargo Corrêa, among others. According to the Federal Police, the contractors made regular payments through mock contracts to a law firm and to two other companies nominated by José Francisco das Neves, known as "Juquinha", former president of Valec.The companies acted as a front to hide the illicit origin of the money. All were charged with passive corruption and money laundering. José Francisco das Neves ("Juquinha") was acquitted of the charges on appeal: in October 2023 the (TRF-1) unanimously overturned his conviction, a decision that became final in 2024.

The name of the operation refers to the defense presented by one of the targets in a previous investigation called the ("Pay Train"). In it, the defense alleged that "if the train was the paymaster, the target was not the recipient". According to the Public Prosecutor's Office in Goiás, Camargo Corrêa admitted having paid R$800,000 ($) to Juquinha. In that one state alone, the authorities estimated that the scheme diverted R$630 million ($) from the public coffer. In administrative-improbity lawsuits concerning the North–South Railway works, the Federal Justice in Goiás dismissed the charges against José Francisco das Neves and his family on the merits in 2025: it found no causal link between their conduct and the alleged illicit enrichment (case no. 0016729-53.2016.4.01.3500), and no proof of fraud, intent (dolo) or overpricing, a 2021 court-appointed expert examination having concluded that there was no overpricing in the works (case no. 0014595-29.2011.4.01.3500).

Operation Xepa