(VOVworld) – Brazilian police launched a new round of arrests Monday as part of a corruption investigation into the state-run oil firm Petrobras, a day after massive nationwide demonstrations protesting Brazil’s economic decline.

A member of Brazil’s Movimento dos Sem-Teto (Roofless Movement) holds up a sign, which says “No more lies,” in a protest in front of the Petrobras headquarters in São Paulo, on March 11, 2015. (Photo: Reuters)

Federal police said they had warrants for the arrest of 18 people in connection with a 10-year scheme of kickbacks and political payoffs that allegedly siphoned off 3.8 billion USD from Petrobras. The warrants are being carried out in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
Among those targeted for arrest was Petrobras’s former director of services, Renato Duque, allegedly a key figure in the scheme. None of those arrested Monday is a public servant.
The list of 49 politicians under investigation is headed by Senate president Renan Calheiros and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Eduardo Cunha. 13 senators, 22 deputies, and two governors have been placed under investigation.