(19 Nov 2019) Brazilian police are seeking the arrest of Paraguay's ex-president Horacio Cartes as part of an investigation into money laundering. On Tuesday, Brazilian authorities alleged Cartes provided $500,000 to a criminal organization at the request of Dario Messer, a Brazilian associate who was then a fugitive facing corruption charges, prosecutors told reporters.
Brazilian authorities say they have asked Interpol to put out a red notice for the arrest of Cartes.
Interpol didn't immediately respond to a request for information.
The former president remains in Paraguay and is "at ease because he had no commercial ties to Dario Messer," his lawyer, Carlos Palacios, told the Associated Press.
Earlier this year, Brazilian police arrested Messer, the alleged leader of a group of Brazilian illicit money changers who delivered bribes as part of the "Car Wash" kickback scheme, the biggest corruption scandal in Brazil's history.
The sprawling Car Wash investigation since 2014 has roiled not only Brazil's business and political elite, but also spread to neighbouring countries.
The probe revealed the scope of corruption and cozy relationships between the public and private sectors.
Cartes, 63, amassed a fortune with two dozen companies acting in all sorts of industries, including tobacco, banking, soccer and soft drinks.
He parlayed that influence into a presidential run, and served a five-year term through 2018.
Cartes often denied accusations that his wealth was fed by money laundering, cigarette smuggling and drug trafficking.
Prosecutors were still evaluating whether Cartes' alleged participation in the criminal organization was temporary when providing the funds to Messer, or a permanent fixture of the group.
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