PRIMER: Operation Car Wash/Lava Jato

Abstract

In 2014, a routine operation began in Brazil to investigate and uncover relatively minor acts of corruption that saw black market dealers or doleiros use gas stations and car washes – hence the name – in the country to launder profits. The eventual winner of the most recent presidential election, right wing ex-general Jair Bolsonaro, ran on an anti-corruption ticket, vowing a crackdown on white collar crime at all levels. Prior to the scandal, if an individual was charged and convicted of a white collar crime, they were able to remain out of prison while they launched an appeal, a process that could potentially take several years. [...]public officials in the country became worried about being caught up in the allegations by the press.