Supported
The cited record supports the material proposition.
The US Justice Department said in September 2018 that Petrobras executives facilitated hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes to Brazilian politicians and parties and concealed them in the company's books.
- Claim made by
- US Department of Justice, regulator statement
- Published
- 27 September 2018
- Original
- Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras Agrees to Pay More Than $850 Million for FCPA Violations
- Evidence score
- 88 How it was scored
- Last reviewed
- 25 October 2026
Why this label
The department's release states both points in plain terms and records that Petrobras entered a non-prosecution agreementS1. It records that Petrobras admitted failing to keep accurate books on its capitalised assetsS1. The SEC release separately says false financial statements concealed a massive bribery and bid-rigging schemeS2. The SEC order states that Petrobras failed to detect and disclose the corruption schemesS5. A non-prosecution agreement is not a conviction. The release credits Petrobras with full cooperation and remediationS1. The claim describes what the department said, and the record supports it.
Current procedural position
Non-prosecution agreement with the US Justice Department and SEC cease and desist order in File No. 3-18843, both dated 27 September 2018S1S2S5.
Record supporting the assessment
facilitated the payment of hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes to Brazilian politicians and political parties
cooked the books to conceal the bribe payments from investors and regulators
concealed a massive bribery and bid-rigging scheme at the company
Petrobras failed to detect and disclose these corruption schemes.
Conflicting or limiting record
fully cooperated in the investigation and fully remediated
Evidence score: 88 of 100
The score grades how well the record establishes this assessment. It is not a score of Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras. Score = source authority + directness + corroboration + procedural accuracy + currency + reproducibility.
| Component | Points | Max | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source authorityIs the source competent to establish the proposition? | 28 | 30 | The DOJ and SEC are competent for the terms they agreed with the company. |
| DirectnessDoes the source state the proposition or only discuss adjacent facts? | 19 | 20 | The release states the conduct directly. |
| CorroborationDo independent records support the same material point? | 13 | 15 | The SEC release and the SEC order agree with the DOJ release. All come from the same US resolution. |
| Procedural accuracyDoes the record settle the procedural state the claim describes? | 11 | 15 | A non-prosecution agreement with accepted facts, not a conviction. |
| CurrencyHas the record been checked against later developments? | 7 | 10 | Checked against later Brazilian rulings on Lava Jato evidence, which do not touch the US resolutions. |
| ReproducibilityCan a reader locate the passage and repeat the assessment? | 10 | 10 | Both releases are public. |
| Total | 88 | 100 |
Timeline
Related cases
- United States and Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. - PetrobrasUS Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Fraud Section. Criminal. Not stated in the sources read.Stage: Non-prosecution agreement
- Non-prosecution agreement with US$853.2 million in penalties, 80 percent to BrazilS1
- In the Matter of Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. - PetrobrasUS Securities and Exchange Commission. Regulatory. File No. 3-18843.Stage: Settled
Revision history
- Assessment first published with label Supported.
Have a record that changes this assessment? See corrections and responses.
Sources
- S1Tier A Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras Agrees to Pay More Than $850 Million for FCPA ViolationsUS Department of Justice. Regulator press release. 27 September 2018.Supports the non-prosecution agreement, the penalty split and the described conduct. The en dash in the original title is shown as a hyphen.Link working, checked 25 October 2026
- S2Tier A Petrobras Reaches Settlement With SEC for Misleading InvestorsUS Securities and Exchange Commission. Regulator press release. 27 September 2018.Supports the SEC charge and the amounts with offsets. It states no admit or deny language.
- S5Tier A In the Matter of Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras, Order Instituting Cease-and-Desist ProceedingsUS Securities and Exchange Commission. Regulator order. 27 September 2018.SEC order in File No. 3-18843 with disgorgement of US$711 million, interest of US$222,473,797 and a US$853.2 million penalty. The order records that Petrobras admits the Commission's jurisdiction. The fetched text showed no admit or deny wording. The en dash in the original caption is shown as a hyphen.
Other claims about Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras
- Partly supported79Petrobras said in January 2018 that it was a victim of the Lava Jato scheme.Company statement, 3 January 20185 records citedBribery
- Supported75Petrobras agreed in January 2018 to pay US$2.95 billion to settle the US securities class action without admitting wrongdoing.Company statement, 3 January 20182 records citedDisclosure
- Unresolved49Poder360 reported in September 2023 that Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Dias Toffoli annulled all evidence from Odebrecht's 2016 leniency agreement used in Lava Jato accusations and convictions.Press report, 6 September 20233 records citedBribery