Brasilia, Jul 20 (EFE).- Three former top executives of one of Brazil's largest construction firms were sentenced to prison Monday for crimes committed in connection with a massive corruption scandal centered on state oil company Petrobras.
Dalton Avancini and Eduardo Leite, former president and vice president, respectively, of Camargo Correa, each received a sentence of 15 years and 10 months.
The erstwhile chairman of the Camargo board, João Ricardo Auler, is facing nine years and six months behind bars.
All three men were found of guilty of bribery, money laundering and submitting fraudulent bids for contracts from Petrobras.
Convicted along with the Camargo Correa bosses were former Petrobras executive Paulo Roberto Costa, currency trader Alberto Yousseff and one of the latter's employees.
All of the defendants will be eligible for early parole and other benefits by virtue of agreeing to cooperate with the investigation into a scheme that cost Petrobras an estimated $2 billion over the past decade.
Investigators say that construction and engineering companies paid bribes to secure inflated contracts with Petrobras. These firms split most of the extra money with corrupt executives of the state-controlled company while setting aside some of the loot to pay off politicians who provided cover for the graft.
Founded in 1939, Camargo Correa is one of Brazil's largest builders and is active throughout Latin America.
Earlier Monday, Federal Police charged Otavio Marques de Azevedo, CEO of construction giant Andrade Gutierrez, for his alleged part in the Petrobras scandal.
Andrade Gutierrez operates in about 40 countries.
Among other targets of the wide-ranging Petrobras probe are some 50 politicians, including the leaders of both houses of Congress.
Already behind bars is Joao Vaccari, former treasurer of President Dilma Rousseff's Workers Party.
