A judge in São Paulo found Salles had committed ‘administrative improbity’, suspended his political rights for three years, and ordered him to pay a fine worth ten times his monthly salary.

In 2017, São Paulo state prosecutors sued Salles for “administrative improbity”.

São Paulo state prosecutors announced the case against Haddad on Tuesday, about a week after announcing another civil case against him for administrative improbity.

“Today, tomorrow, the next day: the only real truth is that this government and its ruling clique are abhorred by the immense majority of Venezuelans,” tweeted former opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, who lost to Maduro by a thin margin in 2013 but is barred from competing in the upcoming race over what he says are trumped-up charges of administrative improbity as a governor.

The president has not been implicated, though she was chairwoman of the Petrobras board when much of the supposed improbity occurred.