Brazil court accepts charges against 27 in Petrobras corruption case

A Brazilian judge has accepted federal prosecutors' charges of corruption against the treasurer of the ruling Workers' Party in connection to a sprawling graft scheme at state-run oil company Petrobras.

Federal magistrate Sergio Moro, in the southern state of Parana, said in an email Monday that party treasurer Joao Vaccari Neto was among 27 people whose charges were formally accepted on Monday.

That means that over 100 people so far are facing charges related to the Petrobras case — and prosecutors have said they still have a lot of investigative work to do.

Prosecutors allege construction firms paid at least $800 million in bribes to Petrobras executives, who enriched themselves and funneled the money into the campaign coffers of the Workers' Party and its allies.