Rio de Janeiro, Aug 23 (IANS): Aldemikr Bendine, a former CEO of Brazil's state-controlled oil and gas giant Petrobras, has denied charges of taking bribes from construction company Odebrecht.
Odebrecht, Latin America's largest construction conglomerate, is accused of paying millions of dollars in bribes to politicians across the region in exchange for public contracts, Xinhua news agency reported.
Bendine, who denied the charges on Tuesday, was arrested in June and has ever since been put in a preventive prison so that he cannot destroy evidence and coerce witnesses.
If Bendine is found guilty, he may be sentenced to prison for at least 25 years.
The prosecution office will also request the alleged bribes of 3 million reals ($949,000) Bendine took be returned to Petrobras.