Lula is suspected of having received the money in the purchase of Swedish aircraft manufacturer Saab's Jas Gripen fighter jets through his son Luis Claudio's company to bribe Dilma Rousseff, who succeeded him as the nation's leader in 2011. After arriving to the Stockholm district court early Friday, Lofven denied having any knowledge of bribes related to the arms deal but admitted to having promoted the sale of the Swedish aircraft before he became prime minister. It's obvious that I would help a Swedish company and make sure to create jobs in Sweden," he told the daily Aftonbladet. Brazil and Sweden inked the deal for 36 fighter jets in October 2014, a few months after Lofven became the head of state. Saab Chairman Marcus Wallenberg and President and CEO Hakan Buskhe were also questioned in court.

Source: The Local June 08, 2018 17:48 UTC