Odebrecht Used Parties and Women as Bribes: Former Attorney

The largest construction company in Brazil, Odebrecht, which is involved in a corruption scheme targeting hundreds of politicians around the world, allegedly paid bribes with parties and prostitutes, according to a former company attorney.

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The Dominican Republic is one of many Latin American countries implicated in the Odebrecht scandal, with 14 of its ministers under investigation for connections to the Brazilian construction conglomerate, allegedly receiving campaign funds and benefits amounting to US$100 million.

Odebrecht is accused of distributing US$92 million in bribes to obtain 17 contracts for road construction, dams and a thermoelectric plant in the Dominican Republic

"Odebrecht also organized parties and sent women from Brazil to celebrations with politicians in Panama and the Dominican Republic. It was the builder's way of expressing its gratitude. Although later that also became a blackmail," Rodrigo Tacla, the company's former lawyer, told El Pais.

Tacla also said that Marcelo Odebrecht, president of the company, decided in 2015 to move the Department of Structured Operations, which was the office that paid the bribes from the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo to the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo, "to have greater control over possible police operations and investigations."

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"The first contact was established during an electoral campaign. Odebrecht would pay for the political marketing expenses of the candidates," Tacla said.

According to the U.S. court ruling, between 2001 and 2016, Odebrecht paid about US$788 million in bribes in at least 12 countries, including Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Mexico, among others.

Numerous ministers, presidential candidates and presidents were reportedly part of the scheme.

In exchange for a reduction of their sentences, Odebrecht executives signed a cooperation agreement in 2016 with the Brazilian Justice System. Eight countries are already standing in line for the evidence, having requested access to the documents and testimony from Odebrecht administrators.