Brazil’s Supreme Court this Wednesday sentenced former President Fernando Collor de Mello to eight years and 10 months in prison for the crimes of passive corruption and money laundering, in a trial over bribes he found proven between 2010 and 2014, when he served as senator.

The verdict was reached by the highest court in the seventh session of the trial against the former president, after Collor de Mello was found guilty last Thursday by the majority of the ten magistrates who make up the Federal Supreme Court (STF), by eight votes. for and two against.

According to the ruling of the Supreme Court, the former president will have to serve his sentence in a closed regime. However, since he can still appeal the decision and has criminal benefits due to his age (age 73), he remains at large until all appeals filed by his defense have been reviewed.

The final sentence was nearly four times less than the 33-year prison sentence originally proposed by magistrate Edson Fachin, investigator of the case, along with a fine of 20 million reais (4 million dollars or 3.4 million euros), which was imposed on Wednesday. was pronounced. converted into a fine of 450 minimum wages (approximately 594,000 reais/117,159 dollars/110,000 euros).

According to complaint filed against Collor de Mello by the prosecutor’s office in 2015, the former head of state used his influence in politics to profit from fraudulent contracts with BR Distribuidora, a subsidiary of the state oil company Petrobras, to businessman Joao Lyra, with whom he maintains a “friendly relationship”.

For brokering the concession of such contracts, for a total value of 240 million reais ($48 million today), the former president received a “commission” equal to about 15% of that amount, according to what was proven by the judiciary.