Odebrecht–Car_Wash_plea_bargain_agreements
Odebrecht–Car Wash leniency agreement
Legal maneuver in Brazil's Operation Car Wash
The Odebrecht–Car Wash leniency agreement, also known in Brazil as the "end of the world plea deal" (delações do fim do mundo),[lower-alpha 1][14][15][16][17] was the leniency agreement signed between Odebrecht S.A. and the Public Prosecutor's Office (PGR) in December 2016, as part of Operation Car Wash. The agreement provided for the deposition of 78 of the contractor's executives,[18] including the former president Marcelo Odebrecht, and his father, Emílio Odebrecht [pt], which generated 83 investigations at the Supreme Federal Court (STF).[19]
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In March 2017, Attorney General Rodrigo Janot asked the Supreme Tribunal to withdraw the secrecy of the depositions.[20] The following month, on 11 April, STF Minister Edson Fachin accepted the request of the A-G and withdrew the secrecy of investigations.[21] On 12 April, federal judge Sérgio Moro followed the same line as the Supreme Tribunal and withdrew the secrecy of denunciations involving people without foro privilegiado [pt] status[lower-alpha 2] from the jurisdiction of judges of first instance.[lower-alpha 3] Moro said in his order, "The judiciary should not be the guardian of shadowy secrets. Moreover, publicity prevents unlawful, regrettable leaks, which are difficult to control".[22][23]
According to the lead prosecutor of Operation Car Wash, Deltan Dallagnol, the leniency agreement provided the "greatest refund in world history".[24] Odebrecht and Braskem pleaded guilty and would pay fines of 3.5 billion dollars, the equivalent of 12 billion reals, 80 per cent of which would go to Brazil.[25]
In 2018, the STF took from Lava Jato the so-called End of the World denunciation in which 415 politicians from 26 parties were mentioned, but merely one was convicted. It generated 270 investigations, but only five of them became criminal proceedings.[26][27]
The signing of the plea bargain agreement [pt] resulted in several Operation Car Wash offshoots outside Brazil [pt], especially in the Americas.[28]