Former Brazilian president detained in connection with bribery and money laundering investigation

Former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was detained for questioning in a federal investigation of a bribery and money laundering scheme that police said had financed campaigns and expenses of the ruling Workers Party.

His detention was the highest profile arrest in a sweeping corruption investigation that has ensnared powerful lawmakers and business executives in Latin America’s biggest economy.

The arrest threatened to tarnish the legacy of Brazil’s most powerful politician and the tactics that his left-leaning Workers’ Party used to consolidate its position since rising to power 13 years ago.