Brazil Impeachment Mastermind Arrested for Corruption

Antonio Cruz/Agência Brasil

BELGRADE - Brazilian police have arrested the former legislator who led the controversial charge to impeach ex-President Dilma Rousseff on corruption charges.

Eduardo Cunha, former speaker of the lower house of Brazil's Congress, was detained in the capital, Brasilia, on October 19. He is accused of taking millions of dollars in bribes to interfere in the workings of the Caixa Economica Federal, a state bank, and national oil company Petrobras, hiding the money in Swiss bank accounts.

Cunha's arrest is only the most recent in a string of high-profile detentions resulting from the Operation Car Wash investigation into pervasive corruption in Petrobras. Sergio Moro, the federal judge at the head of the operation, signed Cunha's arrest warrant.

Cunha resigned in July, and said last month he would write a book exposing the machinations...