Petrobras Probe Turns to Bribes in U.S. Refinery Purchase
- Brazil may seek compensation or cancelation of sale contract
- Prosecutors cite $792 mln in losses from Pasadena acquisition
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Brazilian investigators who are pursuing a vast pay-to-play scheme at Petroleo Brasileiro SA are taking aim at a Texas refinery, bringing additional scrutiny to a much-criticized transaction and potentially implicating one of the state-run producer’s former partners.
A team of police and prosecutors have found evidence that a Belgium trading company paid $15 million in bribes to secure the sale of the Pasadena refinery to Petrobras, police and prosecutors said Monday. Brazil could cancel the acquisition or seek compensation, and Astra Oil, a division of Belgium-based holding Transcor Astra Group SA, could face consequences in Brazil and in the U.S., they said.