Former Brazilian state governor sentenced to 13 years of prison for embezzlement

RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Silval Barbosa, former governor of Mato Grosso state, in Brazil's midwestern region, was found guilty of embezzlement and sentenced to 13 years and seven months of prison on Monday.

According to the authorities, Barbosa headed a gang responsible for the embezzlement of over 2.5 million Reais from the state though frauds in the concession of fiscal incentives to private companies. The scheme involved the state's industrial development program Prodeic.

According to the Federal Police, the embezzlement occurred during Barbosa's second term as governor between 2011 and 2014. In addition to the former governor, several members of his cabinet were found guilty of participating in the scheme, such as former Chief of Staff Pedro Nadaf, former Finance Secretary Marcel de Cursi, advisors Silvio Cezar Correa de Araujo and Karla Cecilia de Oliveira Cintra, and retired prosecutor Francisco Lima de Andrade.

By turning state's evidence and providing information on the scheme, Barbosa managed to wrangle a rather beneficial deal, and will serve his sentence in house arrest, in addition to paying a hefty fine.

Besides, all the accused lost their rights to occupy any public office for eight years after the end of their sentences.

Barbosa is not the only Brazilian former governor to behave against the law: in Rio de Janeiro state, three former governors were arrested for several corruption crimes; Former Governor Sergio Cabral Filho is currently serving a sentence of 45 years and is a named defendant in a dozen other cases. Enditem