Brazil investigates crash that killed Car Wash probe judge
SAO PAULO — Brazilian authorities on Friday were investigating a plane crash that killed the Supreme Court justice in charge of a major corruption case just weeks before he was scheduled to issue a ruling that could have revealed accusations against politicians in several Latin American countries.
The death of Justice Teori Zavascki, 68, in Thursday’s crash is likely to delay, though not derail, the “Car Wash” investigation, the largest corruption investigation in Brazil’s history. Investigators allege inflated contracts with state oil giant Petrobras and other state-run companies yielded billions of dollars for bribes and election campaigns.
The small plane went down in heavy rains Thursday just off the coast of Paraty, a colonial town and popular vacation spot about 155 miles (250 kilometres) west of Rio de Janeiro. Rescuers said Friday that they had recovered all five bodies from the crash, including Zavascki, the pilot, a businessman, a woman who worked for the businessman, and her mother.
Although the cause was unclear, many Brazilians voiced fears of foul play since Zavascki held such an important role in the corruption investigation, in which dozens of politicians and businessmen already have been jailed. Transparency International called for a full investigation into the crash, and federal police and the public prosecutor have opened probes alongside those of aviation authorities.