JBS executive illegally paid millions to Brazil leaders

sao paulo» The chairman of meatpacking giant JBS SA, whose U.S. operations are based in Greeley, has told prosecutors he made millions of dollars of illegal payments to President Michel Temer and his predecessors, Dilma Rousseff and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The revelations, in documents released by the country’s Supreme Court, came a day after the court said Temer was being formally investigated for corruption and obstruction of justice.

Joesley Batista, whose company is one of Brazil’s biggest, said in a plea deal with prosecutors that Temer asked for money on multiple occasions in amounts that added up to at least $2.2 million, and that some of the money was intended to be used for political campaigns. Batista told prosecutors he met with Temer at least 20 times after they first became acquainted in 2010.

Batista also said he deposited $30 million in an offshore bank account for Rousseff, in exchange for loans from the state development bank, BNDES, to a company controlled by the Batista family’s holding company. It wasn’t clear what the money was intended for.

He also told prosecutors he put at least $50 million into an offshore account held by da Silva. He said Ms. Rousseff and da Silva had $150 million in offshore accounts in 2014.

Da Silva’s lawyer denied any wrongdoing on the former president’s part. Representatives of Temer and Rousseff had no immediate comment. They have denied wrongdoing in the past.