The former treasurer of Brazil's ruling Workers' Party (PT) was sentenced to 15 years in prison in relation to the ongoing scandal in the state-owned oil giant Petrobras. Joao Vaccari, who was treasurer until April 2015, was charged with corruption, money laundering, and conspiracy and accused of receiving bribes from companies in return for inflated Petrobras contracts, with the money distributed among PT leaders. Petrobras estimates it lost US$2 billion in the fraudulent operations. teleSUR
