The Supreme Court of Brazil has published testimonies related to the alleged corruption case in Brazil. The testimony said that Brazilian contractors and politicians took advantage of the construction of several stadiums used in the 2014 World Cup. The testimony was given by officials who worked at the largest construction firm in South America, Odebrecht. Based on the testimony, there were several irregularities in the bidding process to win the construction of six stadiums, including the renovation of the historic stadium, Maracana Stadium. Many countries in Latin America, including Brazil, have opened investigations into cases of alleged bribery carried out by Odebrecht to win infrastructure projects. The bribe method was revealed during an investigation in Brazil related to a corruption scandal involving Petrobras, a state-owned energy company. Petrobras case involving many big construction companies like Construtora OAS, Queiroz Galvão, UTC Engenharia, and Camargo Correa. The chairman of Camargo Correa, vitor, choose to step down from his position after the scandal.
Another stadium that is a land of corruption is the Corinthians Stadium in Sao Paulo. The cost of renovations should have been smaller, but it suddenly swelled to four times what was budgeted. The stadium is known to be the venue for the opening match between host Brazil against Croatia in June 2014. Similar irregularities also occur in the construction or renovation of the National Stadium in Brasilia, Pernambuco Arena in Recife, Castelao Arena in Fortaleza, and Arena Amazonia in Manaus.
The testimony was given as part of an agreement with the authorities of the United States (US), Brazil, and Switzerland, to expose cases of bribery from abroad that occurred throughout South America. The company leader, Marcelo Odebrecht, was charged with corruption and money laundering related to a scandal involving Petrobras. Odebrecht admitted paying at least USD3.5 billion to authorities in the US, Brazil, and Switzerland, to win the project contract. This case is considered the worst scandal in the country also in Latin America.
