Brazil police arrest former Petrobras CEO in graft probe

Brazilian police have arrested a former CEO of state oil company Petrobras on suspicion of receiving bribes from a construction company involved in a sprawling corruption scandal.

The prosecutor-general's office says in a statement that Aldemir Bendine was taken into custody Thursday.

Bendine served as Petrobras' chief executive from 2015 to 2016 and before that was CEO at state-run bank Banco do Brazil from 2009 to 1015.

His lawyer's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Construction conglomerate Odebrecht is at the center of a massive kickback scheme that prosecutors say inflated contracts at Petrobras and other state companies.

The probe has ensnared dozens of other executives and politicians.