BRASÍ LIA—The Posto da Torre, or Tower Gas Station, inspired the
code name for a sweeping corruption probe into Brazilian oil giant
Petró leo Brasileiro S.A., a case that has led to criminal charges
against some in the highest echelons of the country's business and
political elite.
The station's notoriety hasn't stopped customers in Brazil's
capital from lining up for its cheap gas and fried snacks.
About 2 miles west of the city's main government buildings, the
Tower Gas Station played a central role in the investigation dubbed
"Operation Car Wash," according to authorities. Prosecutors say
money launderers used a currency exchange and money-wiring service
on the premises to help Petrobras executives transfer money from
the oil company into overseas bank accounts.
That currency exchange is now boarded up, and the station's
owner, Carlos Chater, is in jail on money-laundering and corruption
charges. Mr. Chater's sister, Katia Nasr, is running the rest of
the business in his absence. But she faces her own legal troubles.
She has been charged with money laundering, belonging to a criminal
organization and tax evasion, and is out on bail.
In a recent interview in her tidy, spacious office above the
station, a defiant Ms. Nasr said the currency exchange was
"totally, 100% legal." She denied the charges against her and Mr.
Chater. "He's not linked to the Petrobras case," Ms. Nasr said of
her brother. "They think Carlos is a big fish, but he isn't."
Neither Mr. Chater nor his lawyer could be reached to
comment.
Named for a giant nearby TV tower, the station looks pretty much
like any other. It has 16 pumps and a convenience store with a tiny
counter where customers can order coffee and pastries. The sign
reads Cyber Café but there are no computers in sight.
There is also a separate snack bar called the Pasteleria Torre
that sells pasteis—deep-fried rectangles of dough stuffed with
cheese and meat. The snacks gets rave reviews and draw lines of
customers throughout the day.
A laundry is also on the premises, where customers can drop off
dry cleaning or wash a load of clothes for about $10. Curiously,
there is no carwash; the owners replaced it years ago with more gas
pumps. Prosecutors declined to say why they kept the name even
though the car wash is long gone, or why they didn't name it
Operation Laundromat.
Operation Car Wash began when investigators tracking the
activities of a group of suspected money launderers, including Mr.
Chater, homed in on the gas station he owned.
They say they discovered a link between one of the suspected
money launderers and a Petrobras executive, who was eventually
arrested. As part of a plea deal, the executive told prosecutors
about a yearslong corruption scheme in which construction companies
colluded to overcharge Petrobras for contracts, then shared some of
the ill-gotten gains with Petrobras executives and politicians.
Four former Petrobras executives have been charged with various
crimes, and roughly 50 current and former politicians have been
implicated in the scheme. Petrobras in April wrote off $17 billion
in corruption-related costs and costs associated with inflated
contracts.
Petrobras says it was a victim of the scheme and that it is
cooperating with authorities.
On Friday, in the latest phase of Operation Car Wash, the chief
executives for two of Brazil's biggest construction companies,
Odebrecht SA and Andrade Gutierrez, along with nine other staffers
from those companies, were arrested on suspicion of money
laundering and corruption.
Some of the executives have denied the allegations; others are
cooperating with authorities.
While the overall operation has become known as Operation Car
Wash, prosecutors also gave cheeky code names to individual phases
of the case. When the police arrested a former Petrobras executive
who had blue eyes and favored the music of Frank Sinatra, the case
was called Operation My Way. An investigation into another person
suspected of moving cash to Italy was named Dolce Vita.
Another phase, Operation What Kind of Country Is This? was so
named because an accused oil executive, indignant while talking to
his lawyer, used the phrase just before authorities hauled him off
to prison. That executive later agreed to return just under $100
million he had amassed in overseas accounts.
Despite its purported ties to the corruption scandal, the Tower
Gas Station remains a fixture in Brasí lia.
On a recent evening, during a torrential downpour, every table
next to the pumps was packed with people drinking beer and munching
on pasteis. A steady line formed at the snack kiosk. The gas fumes
didn't seem to bother anyone.
Elser Costa, 51, a carpenter, was eating a fried meat pie with a
friend. He knew the gas station was linked to the corruption
scandal but said that hadn't changed his opinion about the place.
"The service is still good," he said.
Online reviewers have given the station high ratings. It gets
four stars out of five on Yelp.
"Without a doubt, the best gas station in Brasí lia," reviewer
Olga R. wrote late last year.
Ms. Nasr's 19 year-old son, Yusuf, helps run the station. To
attract customers, he keeps the gas about four cents cheaper than
other stations in town. Taxi drivers and motorcyclists get an
additional discount. He recently came up with a promotion in which
clients who spend at least 50 reais (about $16) on gas are entered
into a raffle for a new red Volkswagen Golf or a Honda CG 125
motorcycle. The prizes are parked at the station, adorned with
ribbons. The raffle will take place in August.
The possibility of jail for his mother and his uncle haven't
deterred him, Mr. Nasr said. His mother maintains her innocence and
hasn't been convicted.
"We're going to keep working in the same way and wait until my
uncle comes out," he said.
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