Brazil's state oil giant executives accept 1.3 bln USD in bribes

Executives at Brazil's state-run oil giant Petrobras accepted at least 4 billion reals (some 1.3 billion U.S. dollars) in bribes, local media reported on Monday.

Most of the money, 1.9 billion reals or 610 million U.S. dollars, was paid by Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, according to revelations from company executives as part of a plea bargain deal, the daily O Globo said.

A three-year investigation into widespread graft at Petrobras, called Operation Car Wash, has shaken the country's political establishment.

But Brazil is just one of at least 12 countries in Latin America and Africa where Odebrecht systematically secured lucrative public works contracts by bribing government officials.

Petrobras, meanwhile, also took bribes from other Brazilian construction firms looking to secure contracts to drilling platforms and other energy infrastructure. Enditem