São Paulo: Former mayor pays 33 million for embezzling funds

Paulo Maluf, former mayor of São Paulo, will pay the City Hall of Brazil's largest city 210 million reais (32.6 million euros at the current exchange rate) for embezzlement of public funds, authorities announced on Tuesday.

Lawyers for Maluf, a right-wing politician now 93, signed an agreement with the Public Prosecutor's Office after about a year of negotiations to return the amount embezzled during his tenure as City Hall leader between 1993 and 1996.

The city's attorney general, Luciana Sant'Ana, said in a statement that the agreement is "very good for the public interest" as it is the " biggest corruption scandal " in the city's history .

On the other hand, the City of São Paulo clarified that the payment of the fine does not end other civil actions in progress against Maluf , as well as against his wife and family companies, accused of overbilling and receiving bribes.

In 2017, the Supreme Court sentenced the politician to seven years in prison and a fine for money laundering, considering that he benefited from the diversion of funds intended for public works, which were illegally sent abroad.

Maluf, one of the most influential figures in Brazilian politics in the second half of the last century, was also mayor of the city between 1969 and 1971 and was governor of the state of São Paulo between 1979 and 1982, both positions held during the military dictatorship.

Furthermore, he ran for President of Brazil in 1985 and 1989, elections in which he was defeated.