Nicolas Bourcler – The Guardian, 05/15/2012
Brazil is being rocked by a graft scandal involving local and national policymakers, police officers and business leaders, with a special panel preparing to question the alleged mastermind.
News of the scandal broke in February with the arrest of Carlos Augusto Ramos, aka Carlinhos Cachoeira (Charlie Waterfall), who is thought to run a gambling racket in Goias state. He is a familiar face in Brazilian politics. In 2004 he was at the centre of the Mensalao scandal that shook former President Lula’s government and Workers’ party (PT). Several officials were sacked but Cachoeira walked free.
Now he is being prosecuted for corruption and money-laundering offences, charges he denies. What started as a relatively low-profile investigation has grown into a major event, now known as Cachoeiragate.
