Brazil's former president Lula accused of obstruction of justice

The Brazilian Ministry of Justice decided on Friday to accept a denouncement against former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for obstruction of justice in the Petrobras scandal.

According to the prosecution, Lula and six other people are accused of trying to hinder investigations by bribing Nestor Cervero, former director of international affairs for state-run oil giant Petrobras, who had turned in evidence in the scandal known as "Carwash Operation."

In over two years of investigations, this is the first time Lula has been formally accused.

His defense attorneys released a statement saying that he "never interfered or tried to interfere in the statements related to the Carwash Operation."

"The accusation is based exclusively on the statement given by a confessed criminal with no credibility, who made a deal with the prosecution in order to be granted house arrest," the statement said.

According to investigators, Cervero was promised he could escape from Brazil to Spain if he kept quiet about Lula's involvement in the scheme.

"This criminal organization could never have worked for so many years, in such an ample and aggressive manner in the federal government, without Lula's participation," Chief Federal Prosecutor Rodrigo Janot said. Endi