Former Brazilian President Fernando Collor de Mello was arrested Friday (25) in Maceió, Alagoas, to begin serving an eight-year and ten-month prison sentence for corruption and money laundering. The arrest follows a Supreme Federal Court (STF) ruling that dismissed his final appeals, deeming them dilatory. Justice Alexandre de Moraes issued the arrest order after Collor attempted to surrender at the airport en route to Brasília.
Collor, who served as Brazil’s first democratically elected president from 1990 to 1992, was convicted in 2023 for accepting bribes totaling 20 million reais (approximately $3.5 million) between 2010 and 2014. The bribes were allegedly paid by construction company UTC Engenharia in exchange for facilitating contracts with BR Distribuidora, a subsidiary of state oil giant Petrobras. The case emerged from the extensive Operation Car Wash investigation, which uncovered widespread corruption involving public officials and business leaders across Latin America.
Following his resignation amid impeachment proceedings in 1992, Collor returned to politics and served as a senator from 2007 to 2023. Despite his diminished political influence, the arrest underscores Brazil’s continued efforts to address corruption at the highest levels of government. The STF is expected to review the arrest in a full court session in the coming days.
Collor has not publicly commented on the arrest. His legal team has maintained that the charges are based solely on testimonies without concrete evidence, and they continue to contest the conviction.
Sources: The Rio Times and AP News