Former Brazilian President Fernando Collor de Mello has been sentenced to prison following a ruling by Brazil's highest court, which upheld his conviction for corruption and money laundering. The ruling was announced on Friday, April 25, 2025, marking a significant development in Brazil's ongoing fight against corruption at the highest levels of government.
Collor, Brazil's first democratically elected president after the end of military rule, received a nearly nine-year prison sentence. At 75 years old, Collor was arrested in Brazil's northeastern region, as confirmed by an anonymous police source to AFP. The Supreme Federal Court dismissed Collor's final appeal to overturn the arrest order, which paved the way for his detention.
The charges against Collor stem from allegations that he accepted illegal payments to facilitate contracts between a construction company and BR Distribuidora, a former subsidiary of the state-run oil giant Petrobras. Prosecutors argue that Collor used his political influence to secure these contracts in exchange for financial kickbacks, a practice that has long plagued Brazil's public institutions.
This conviction adds to Collor’s troubled political legacy. Elected in 1989 and assuming office in 1990, Collor resigned in 1992 amid a massive corruption scandal that led to impeachment proceedings in Congress. Though he stepped down to avoid a formal conviction, his political career never recovered.
Collor’s case adds to a troubling trend in Brazilian politics, with four of the seven presidents to have served since the end of military dictatorship in 1985 facing legal consequences. In a separate case, former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro is currently on trial for allegedly orchestrating a coup attempt following his defeat in the 2022 presidential election.
The continuing legal battles involving Brazil’s political elite underscore the ongoing tension between the country’s leadership and its judicial institutions.
