Jose Dirceu (R), chief of staff during the government of Brazil's former President Inacio Lula da Silva, turns himself in to federal police after an arrest warrant was issued for him to begin a jail sentence for corruption, in Sao Paulo November 15, 2013. REUTERS/Nacho Doce
CURITIBA, Brazil (Reuters) - Brazilian federal police on Monday arrested former government minister Jose Dirceu, one of the most senior members of the ruling Workers' Party to be detained so far in a corruption scandal engulfing state-run oil company Petrobras.
Dirceu, chief-of-staff under popular former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva between 2003 and 2005, was already under house arrest for running a vote-buying scheme. His involvement in an even larger scandal threatens to bring the investigation closer to Lula and further tarnish his legacy.
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