Brazil lawmakers named in suspected kickback scheme at Petrobras

Brazil's leading newsweekly says an imprisoned former director of the country's state-controlled Petrobras oil company has named more than 30 lawmakers allegedly involved in a suspected money laundering and kickback scheme involving company contracts.

Veja said Saturday in its latest edition that a former director of downstream operations at Petrobras gave the names to prosecutors after striking a plea-bargain deal. The names include three state governors and one minister.

The former Petrobras executive Paulo Roberto Costa was arrested last March for his suspected involvement in the scheme.

Veja says that those named also include congressmen and senators of the ruling Workers' Party and of two other parties that back President Dilma Rousseff.

Calls to Petrobras for comment went unanswered on Saturday.