More raids and arrests were recently made by Brazilian police related to the Car Wash scheme. The investigations looked into possible kickbacks at Petrobras, the state-operated oil firm currently embroiled in a national scandal.

Arrest Warrant for Joao Santana

Joao Santana, President Dilma Rousseff’s campaign manager, is suspected to have received bribes in offshore accounts. Santana, 63, is a well-known adviser of politicians. He previously worked with former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the late Hugo Chavez. Santana’s involvement in the current investigation puts the focus on Rousseff again, although the latter is not under investigation. Santana is reportedly out of Brazil at the moment and could not be reached for comment.

“Clamor by society and the press, and the country’s situation, could prompt a faster decision. Everyone knows Santana’s importance to the Workers’ Party. He was much more than just a simple strategist. He worked for a long time in the hard core of the presidency as adviser,” said Lucas de Aragao, partner at Arko Advice, a political risk consulting company.

Federal investigators continue to explore the Car Wash scheme and how bribes may have potentially been paid for contracts signed between Petrobras, Sete Brasil and Keppel Fels. According to police, they have eight arrest warrants related to the investigation, which commenced in 2014. Searches and arrests were made in São Paulo, Salvador and Rio de Janeiro in the past months. Politicians and executives have been arrested or put under investigation after being suspected of overcharging Petrobras. They were said to have also been using part of the money to bribe members of Rousseff’s coalition.

Possible Involvement of Other Politicians and Executives

Prosecutors also asked for an arrest warrant for Marcelo Odebrecht. Odebrecht is the former chief executive officer of Odebrecht SA, the Brazilian engineering firm that is at the center of the scandal. The arrest warrant was based on Odebrecht's agenda notes, wherein he requested to transfer employees who managed payments abroad out of Brazil. Marcelo was detained in 2015 and is still under preventive arrest.

Rousseff is currently trying to avoid an impeachment process while former president Lula is also becoming the focus of police probes. The ruling Worker’s Party’s former treasurer has already been sentenced while the former Senate leader has been temporarily imprisoned. Rousseff’s press office refused to comment on the recent developments.

Rousseff’s side and the Lula Institute have denied any involvement in the corruption allegations.