The once wealthiest man in Brazil was recently arrested in conjunction with the ongoing Operation Car Wash investigation. Eike Batista voluntarily returned to Brazil from the United States and turned himself into to Brazilian authorities. According to reports, he stands accused of paying $16.5 million in bribes to the former governor of Rio de Janeiro state, Sérgio Cabral, as part of the country’s landmark investigation into bid-rigging at state-controlled oil company Petrobras.
Batista was once a high-flying society playboy and was listed by Forbes at the 7th richest in the world. He lost that net worth of an estimated $30 billion when his high-flying commodities business collapsed in 2014. Interestingly, when he landed in Brazil, Batista told the awaiting press, “I am fulfilling my duty as a Brazilian and returning. My feeling is that I have to show what is what. It is time to clarify things.”
