Brazil's opposition urges outster of Petrobras CEO amid corruption scandal

Opposition leaders in Brazil on Friday called for replacement of Petrobras CEO Graca Foster in the wake of a major corruption scandal hitting the state-run oil and gas giant.

Opposition parties, including the conservative Social Democratic Party (PSDB), the Democrats (DEM), and the Socialist People's Party (PPS), demanded Foster's ouster after local newspaper Valor Economico reported that she did not act after being warned of many wrongdoings going on at the company.

The newspaper said former Petrobras executive Venina Velosa da Fonseca had warned Foster about irregularities in contracts and bids back in 2009.

"The leaders of the PSDB, the PPS and DEM Friday demanded the dismissal of the president of Petrobras, Graca Foster, and other members of the company board after it surfaced that management had been warned several times of irregularities in state contracts," Brazil's G1 news website reported.

Senator Alvaro Dias of the PSDB, whose candidate was runner-up in October presidential elections, said leaving Foster in her post was "inadmissible."

"Perhaps there was no direct participation in the scheme, but there was omission and complicity," he said.

So far, 36 people have been charged with embezzlement, money laundering and other crimes in connection with the scheme, which mainly involved kickbacks from construction firms that won juicy government contracts from Petrobras. No trial dates have been set.