The cited record supports the material proposition.
The US Department of Justice said in December 2016 that Odebrecht paid about US$788 million in bribes to government officials, their representatives and political parties.
Odebrecht paid approximately $788 million in bribes
- About
- Novonor S.A.
- Claim made by
- US Department of Justice, regulator statement
- Published
- 21 December 2016
- Original
- Odebrecht and Braskem Plead Guilty and Agree to Pay at Least $3.5 Billion in Global Penalties
- Evidence score
- 89 How it was scored
- Last reviewed
- 25 October 2026
Why this label
The DOJ release states the US$788 million figure and reports that Odebrecht pleaded guiltyS1. A guilty plea is an admission by the company in a US federal court, which gives the figure strong footing. The release names the Division of Structured Operations as the unit that handled the payments. The record does not by itself list a count of countries in the passage we read, so we do not repeat the often cited figure of 12 countries here. Later Brazilian rulings on the usability of Odebrecht records in BrazilS2 did not undo the US plea, and we found no record that withdrew it.
Current procedural position
Guilty plea entered in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, announced 21 December 2016S1. No record found of the plea being withdrawn as of October 2026.
Record supporting the assessment
Odebrecht paid approximately $788 million in bribes to government officials, their representatives and political parties
the “Division of Structured Operations,” which effectively functioned as a stand-alone bribe department
Conflicting or limiting record
No record located that conflicts with this assessment.
Evidence score: 89 of 100
The score grades how well the record establishes this assessment. It is not a score of Novonor S.A.. Score = source authority + directness + corroboration + procedural accuracy + currency + reproducibility.
| Component | Points | Max | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source authorityIs the source competent to establish the proposition? | 29 | 30 | A DOJ release reporting a guilty plea is a competent record of what the company admitted in US court. |
| DirectnessDoes the source state the proposition or only discuss adjacent facts? | 19 | 20 | The release states the dollar figure in plain words. |
| CorroborationDo independent records support the same material point? | 10 | 15 | Brazilian court records confirm the leniency deal existed but we did not read a second record that restates the figure. |
| Procedural accuracyDoes the record settle the procedural state the claim describes? | 14 | 15 | A guilty plea is a settled procedural state. |
| CurrencyHas the record been checked against later developments? | 8 | 10 | We checked later Brazilian rulings and found nothing that withdraws the US plea. |
| ReproducibilityCan a reader locate the passage and repeat the assessment? | 9 | 10 | The release is public on the DOJ archive site. |
| Total | 89 | 100 |
Timeline
- DOJ announces guilty pleas by Odebrecht and Braskem and global penalties of at least US$3.5 billionS1
Related cases
- United States v. Odebrecht S.A.US District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Criminal. Not published on the release we read.Stage: Guilty plea entered
- Guilty plea announced, case assigned to US District Judge Raymond J. DearieS1
Revision history
- Assessment first published with label Supported.
Have a record that changes this assessment? See corrections and responses.
Sources
- S1Tier A Odebrecht and Braskem Plead Guilty and Agree to Pay at Least $3.5 Billion in Global PenaltiesUS Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs. Regulator press release. 21 December 2016.Supports the guilty plea, the US$788 million bribe figure and the Division of Structured Operations. It does not address later Brazilian rulings on evidence.Link working, checked 25 October 2026
- S2Tier A STF anula todas as provas obtidas em sistemas da Odebrecht em todas as esferas e para todas as açõesSupremo Tribunal Federal. Regulator press release. 6 September 2023.Official STF release on the 6 September 2023 decision in Rcl 43007. It does not report the outcome of later appeals.Link working, checked 25 October 2026
Other claims about Novonor S.A.
- Contradicted79Prosecutors who appealed to the STF in 2023 and 2024 took the position that evidence from Odebrecht's leniency systems remains usable in Brazilian proceedings.Press report, 28 February 20244 records citedBribery
- Partly supported57An August 2025 press report said the STF had homologated the renegotiated Lava Jato leniency agreements of seven companies, Odebrecht among them.Press report, 15 August 20254 records citedCorporate status