Brazil’s former president, Fernando Collor, has been arrested and ordered to begin serving an 8-year, 10-month prison sentence due to his conviction for corruption in 2023. The corruption case involved Collor accepting $3.5 million from a fuel distributor and construction firm in exchange for political support.
Collor, who led the country from 1990 to 1992, was convicted of accepting 20m reais ($3.5m) from BR Distribuidora and UTC Engenharia. He faced charges related to Operation Car Wash, a corruption investigation that has implicated top politicians and businesspeople across Latin America.
The arrest comes after Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Collor’s arrest on Thursday, stating that the former president should begin serving his sentence immediately due to his lawyers’ attempts to prolong proceedings. This decision follows previous rulings by the court in similar cases, which have allowed sentences to be served upon completion of appeals.
Collor, 75, was first elected as president in 1989 and impeached by Congress in 1992 following corruption allegations. He later became a senator representing his home state of Alagoas from 2007 onwards.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/25/brazil-fernando-collor-arrested