A long series of criminal investigations have occurred in Brazil associated with Operation Car Wash. The first investigation was launched in March 2014, and is now known as phase 1 of the investigation, with subsequent inquiries numbered sequentially and having code names such as phase 2 (Operation Bidone), phase 3 (Operation Casablanca), and so on. By February 2021, there were 80 announced phases of Operation Car Wash.
Besides these, there were other investigations that are considered offshoots of Operation Car Wash.
In Brazil
2014
Phase 1 — Operation Car Wash
On 17 March 2014, the Federal Police of Brazil (PF) initiated Operation Car Wash (Portuguese: Operação Lava Jato) with the temporary and pre-trial detention of seventeen people in seven states, including money changer Alberto Youssef. Five million reals ($1.3 million) were seized in cash, 25 luxury cars, jewelry, paintings and weapons.
Phase 2 — Operation Bidone
On 20 March 2014, the Federal Police launched the second phase of Operation Car Wash, called Operation Bidone, serving six search and seizure warrants and one temporary arrest warrant, namely for former Petrobras Director of Procurement Paulo Roberto Costa.
Phase 3 — Operation Dolce Vita
On 11 April 2014, the Federal Police launched phase 3, Operation Dolce Vita, serving sixteen search and seizure warrants, three temporary arrest warrants and six condução coercitiva warrants. The lawsuit sought to gather evidence about the connection between Paulo Roberto Costa and black marketeer Alberto Youssef at the company Ecoglobal Ambiental. The company had at least one contract of 443 million reals with Petrobras.
He is suspected of offering a R$110,000 ($28,000) bribe from Youssef to Deputy Luiz Argolo, depositing the money in the accounts of a cattle trader (Júlio Gonçalves de Lima Filho) and a transportation company (União Brasil Transporte e Serviços ) at the Deputy's request. The Parliamentary Investigation Commission into Petrobras and the Joint Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry (Comissão Parlamentar Mista de Inquérito; CPMI) of Petrobras were established in the Senate.
Phase 4 — Operation Casablanca
On 11 June 2014, the Federal Police launched Operation Casablanca with a search warrant and a warrant for remand against Paulo Roberto Costa, who was again arrested.
Phase 5 — Operation Bidone II
On 1 July 2014, the Federal Police launched phase 5, Operation Bidone II, serving seven search warrants, one temporary arrest warrant and one condução coercitiva warrant. The executive João Procópio Junqueira Pacheco de Almeida Prado was arrested in São Paulo as manager of the Swiss bank accounts of money changer Youssef. Five million reais ($1.3 million) were frozen in the Swiss accounts.
Phase 6 — Operation Bidone III
On 22 August 2014, the Federal Police launched phase 6, Operation Bidone III, serving eleven search and seizure warrants and one for condução coercitiva at companies with ties to Costa. First arrested in March 2014 on a charge of concealing documents, Costa was released 59 days later, then again arrested days later when authorities discovered he had failed to mention a Portuguese passport and US$23 million in Swiss bank accounts.
Phase 7 — Operation Doomsday
On 14 November 2014, the Federal Police launched Operation Doomsday, (Operação Juízo Final) mobilizing 300 officers to serve 49 search warrants, six pre-trial detention warrants, 21 temporary arrest and nine condução coercitiva compulsory appearance detentions, arresting presidents and directors of large Brazilian companies such as Construtora OAS, IESA Óleo e Gás, Camargo Corrêa Construções, UTC Engenharia, Engevix and Construtora Queiroz Galvão, which had a combined R$59 billion ($25.07 billion) in contracts with Petrobras between 2003 or 2014. In addition to Youssef and Costa, the accused included Nestor Cerveró, a former international director at Petrobras, Dalton Santos Avancini, president of Camargo Corrêa, Jean Alberto Luscher Castro, CEO of Galvão Engenharia, José Adelmário Pinheiro Filho, president of OAS, and Ricardo Ribeiro Pessoa, president of UTC Engenharia.
Camargo Corrêa was the lead contractor on a R$24 billion ($10.2 billion) construction project, the Abreu e Lima refinery in Pernambuco, at the time the most expensive in the country. According to Engevix CEO Gerson Almada, the construction companies entered into consulting agreements with front companies which between them received millions in payment.
Dario de Queiroz Galvão Filho was sentenced to 20 years and six months imprisonment for active corruption, money laundering and criminal association. Erton Medeiros Fonseca received 13 years and five months of imprisonment for active corruption, money laundering and criminal association. Convicted of active corruption and criminal association, Jean Alberto Luscher Castro was given fourteen years and four months in prison. The men appealed their sentences.
Executives of Mendes Junior were also implicated in this phase, over contracts connected to the Paulínia Refinery (Replan), the Getúlio Vargas Refinery (Repar), the Rio de Janeiro Petrochemical Complex (Comperj), the Barra do Riacho Waterway Terminal, the Gabriel Passos Refinery (Regap), and at the Ilha Comprida and Redonda Waterway Terminals. Former vice-president Sergio Cunha Mendes was sentenced to 19 years and four months for his part in the kickback scheme. Paulo Roberto Costa was also among those convicted, and remained under house arrest at his home in Rio de Janeiro.
2015
Phase 8 — unnamed
On 14 January 2015, the Federal Police (PF) served a preventive arrest warrant against Nestor Cerveró, accused of disposing of possibly illegally-obtained assets. Cerveró was arrested on landing at Tom Jobim International Airport in Rio de Janeiro.
Phase 9 — Operation My Way
On 5 February 2015, Federal Police launched the ninth phase of Car Wash, called "My Way". It has served 62 search and seizure warrants, temporary and preventive arrests and enforcement orders in four states of Brazil, to gather evidence about operators who intermediated the payment of bribes and kickbacks under Petrobras. Evidence was also collected regarding payments under BR Distribuidora, a subsidiary of Petrobras. During this phase forty-eight works of art were seized at Zwi Skornicki's house and taken to the Oscar Niemeyer Museum. Zwi Skornicki was named as one of the operators of the corruption scheme.
Phase 10 — Operation What country is this?
On 16 March 2015, around 40 police officers carried out 18 arrests in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. The operation was codenamed "Operation what country is this?" ("Que país é esse?") after comments made by Renato Duque to his lawyer as he was being detained by the police in 2014. The ex-director of Petrobras, Renato Duque, was arrested in his Rio de Janeiro home, and businessman Adir Assad was arrested in São Paulo. Individuals detained in this action were taken to Curitiba. On 27 March, the federal police arrested Dário Queiroz Galvão, one of the partners of the firm Galvão Engenharia. Guilherme Esteves de Jesus, one of the suspects investigated in phase 9 of Operation Car Wash, was arrested in Rio de Janeiro for bribes paid to the Jurong Shipyard. Both Queiroz Galvão and Esteves de Jesus were wanted under pre-trial arrest warrants and were taken to police headquarters in Curitiba. On 8 April 2015, the Federal Justice Court of Paraná seized 163.5 million reals ($41,000,000) from Queiroz Galvão's company, a figure corresponding to the amount of money that was due them from a writ of payment (precatório) from the state of Alagoas.
Phase 11 — Operation In the beginning
On 10 April 2015, the Federal Police began the phase called "In the beginning", (A Origem) fulfilling 32 warrants, including seven for arrest, sixteen search and seizure and nine Condução coercitiva warrants. This phase had operations in six states: Paraná, Bahia, Ceará, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. In this phase, former federal deputy André Luiz Vargas Ilário, Leon Vargas (brother of André Vargas), former deputy Luiz Argôlo, Élia Santos da Hora (secretary of Argôlo), former federal deputy Pedro Corrêa, Ivan Mernon da Silva Torres and Ricardo Hoffmann were arrested.
Phase 12 — unnamed
On 15 April 2015, PF served two arrest warrants, one of condução coercitiva and one of search and seizure in São Paulo. João Vaccari Neto, PT treasurer, was arrested. Vaccari's sister-in-law, Marice Correa de Lima, was on the run until 17 April 2015. She later surrendered to the police. Vaccari's wife, Gisela Lima, had a warrant for condução coercitiva, and was released after making a statement. The Federal Police forwarded to the Federal Public Prosecution Service (MPF) on 11 May 2015, thirty indictments against 22 people, investigated in the 11th phase, to investigate corruption crimes, contract fraud, money laundering and criminal organization, among others.
Phase 13 — unnamed
On 21 May 2015, Federal Police carried out the 13th phase of Operation Lava Jet in the states of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. An arrest warrant was served on Milton Pascowitch; in addition one warrant for condução coercitiva was served, and four for search and seizure. The warrants for search and seizure in São Paulo were made at the residence of José Adolfo Pascowitch, Milton's brother. The other two were served in Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais. According to MPF, JD Consultoria, a company owned by José Dirceu, received more than 1.4 million reals ($350,000) from Jamp Engenheiros Associados Ltd, a company owned by Milton Pascowitch.
Phase 14 — Operation Erga Omnes
On 19 June 2015, the Federal police launched the 14th phase of Operation Car Wash, code-named "Erga Omnes", a Latin expression meaning "valid for all". The targets were the contractors Odebrecht and Andrade Gutierrez. The two company presidents Marcelo Odebrecht and Otávio Azevedo, were arrested in the operation. Odebrecht directors Marcio Faria, Rogério Araújo and Alexandrino Alencar were also arrested. Thirty-eight search warrants were served, eight were for preventive detention, four were temporary detention, and nine were condução coercitiva warrants. Judicial warrants were served in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul.
Phase 15 — Operation Monaco Connection
On 2 July 2015, the Police launched the 15th phase, code named Monaco Connection (Operação Conexão Mônaco), serving five court orders, four of which were for search and seizure and one for pre-trial detention. Jorge Zelada, former director of the international department of Petrobras, was arrested in the city of Rio de Janeiro and sent to prison in Curitiba, due to kickbacks of more than 10 million euros ($11.2 million) in company business. Zelada had previously been cited by two whistleblowers, Paulo Roberto Costa and Pedro Barusco, as the beneficiary of the corruption scheme. He was the successor of Nestor Cerveró, acting in the international department of Petrobras from 2008 to 2012.
Phase 16 — Operation Radioactivity
The Federal Police on 28 July 2015, the phase launched Operation Radioactivity (Radioatividade) with the arrest of Othon Pinheiro da Silva, former CEO of Eletronuclear, and Flávio David Barra, president of global AG Energy. The two were arrested in Rio de Janeiro and taken to the Federal Police in Curitiba. In addition to bribery the 16th phase investigated the formation of a cartel and previous price-fixing on the Angra 3 construction project.
On 28 July 2015, federal judge Sergio Moro, who ran the Lava Jato investigations in Paraná, froze 60 million reais ($15 million), 20 million from former president of Eletronuclear Othon Luiz Pinheiro da Silva, 20 million from Andrade Gutierrez executive Flavio David Barra, and another 20 million from Aratec Engenharia, Consultoria & Representacoes Ltda, which belongs to Othon Luiz.
Phase 17 — Operation Pixuleco
On 3 August 2015, the Federal Police launched Operation Pixuleco, named after the term that the former treasurer of the Workers' Party, João Vaccari Neto, had used to refer to "bribe". 40 court warrants were carried out: three preventive detention, five temporary pre-trial detention, 26 search and seizure and six condução coercitiva warrants. José Dirceu and his brother Luiz Eduardo de Oliveria e Silva were arrested in the operation for corruption, money laundering and criminal conspiracy. About 200 police officers took part in the operation.