Police question Brazil's ex-President Lula in corruption case

Brazilian police questioned former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Friday as part of a vast investigation into corruption at the state-run oil firm Petrobras.

Law enforcement officials also searched his home in Sao Bernardo do Campo, near Sao Paulo, and his nonprofit organization the Instituto Lula, his spokesman Jose Crispiniano told the Associated Press. Da Silva, known as Lula, has denied accusations of corruption.

Police said they had evidence that Lula received payments and real estate from the kick-back scheme at Petrobras and that illegal funds financed the country's ruling Workers' Party, Reuters reported.

"Ex-president Lula, besides being party leader, was the one ultimately responsible for the decision on who would be the directors at Petrobras and was one of the main beneficiaries of these crimes," a police statement carried by the news agency said.

"There is evidence that the crimes enriched him and financed electoral campaigns and the treasury of his political group."

A number of Petrobras bosses are accused of taking bribes from firms in exchange for lucrative contracts in what prosecutors say is the biggest corruption scandal ever discovered in Brazil. Dozens of lawmakers and business leaders have been implicated.

Prosecutors say much of the alleged wrongdoing took place between 2003 and 2010, when Lula was in power.

Lula, who left office in 2010, is one of Brazil's most beloved leaders. He was succeeded by Dilma Rousseff, from the Workers' Party, who is facing possible impeachment accused of using money from public banks to fill budget holes. She has denied any wrongdoing.