Operation Car Wash

Operation Car Wash, or Lava Jato, was a Brazilian criminal investigation launched in 2014 that uncovered a vast system of bribes paid by construction firms to executives of the state oil company Petrobras and to politicians. It led to the conviction of many businessmen and politicians, including former president Lula, whose convictions were later annulled. The scandal deepened Brazil's political crisis around the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, and the task force was wound up in 2021.