Lula's fall from grace: Untangling the biggest corruption scandal in modern history

Lula's fate was sealed by a judge this week who ordered him to serve his 12-year prison sentence
Lula's fate was sealed by a judge this week who ordered him to serve his 12-year prison sentence Credit:  EVARISTO/AFP

The corruption probe that has finally snared Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil's former president, starts on a petrol station forecourt and ends... well, nobody really knows where.

Its tentacles stretch far and wide, tangling up former and serving presidents in multi-billion dollar deals, and reaching the doorsteps of governments and firms across the world, including in British territories.

It is the scandal that has it all. Luxury apartments, slush funds, champagne, a designated department for bribery, and finally meat - lots of meat.

How did the scandal start?

What is now widely considered to be the largest corruption scandal in modern history began at an unassuming car wash and petrol station...

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