Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/556862
52 Sport maltatoday, SUNDAY, 16 AUGUST 2015 FOOTBALL (+356) 800 737 70 Freephone: cabs t minivans t vip transport t luxury coaches t vintage buses 2138 9575 / 9921 5286 info@cabs.com.mt w w w . c a b s . c o m . m t Brazil starts investigating World Cup corruption Brazilian prosecutors launch investigation into claims that the bidding process for the construction of the Arena Pernambuco was rigged to favour Odebrecht and that civil servants were bribed by the construction giant BRAZILIAN prosecutors have commenced an investigation into allegations of corruption and overpricing in the construc- tion of a stadium used during the 2014 World Cup. Operation Fair Play will look into claims that construction gi- ant Odebrecht inflated the price of the Arena Pernambuco by around $12 million, and that the bidding process for the stadium's construction was rigged to fa- vour Odebrecht. Investigators will also look into evidence that civil servants were bribed by the building company. "There wasn't proper competi- tion," Federal Police investiga- tor Marcello Diniz told O Globo newspaper, adding that Odebre- cht was invited to take part in the process a year before details were made public, while other competitors were given only 45 days to prepare their bids. The Arena Pernambuco, with a capacity for 46,000 people, was used in five World Cup matches. Its official cost has never been disclosed, but it is estimated to have cost around 700m reais ($200 million). Hundreds of thousands of Bra- zilians had taken to the streets in the months that preceded last year's World Cup to protest against allegations of corruption and overspending in the prepa- rations for the event. The protestors objected to the huge cost of the tournament, ar- guing that more money should have been spent on public serv- ices to ease inequality in the country. Odebrecht is the biggest con- struction company in Latin America, and it employs more than 180,000 people in 21 coun- tries. Its president Marcelo Odebre- cht, is in jail in connection with a separate corruption scandal, after being charged last month with corruption and money laundering for allegedly having paid bribes to secure contracts with the state-owned oil com- pany, Petrobras. Odebrecht, one of several busi- nessmen, civil servants and poli- ticians detained over the past year as part of an investigation into the Petrobas scandal. has denied the charges and said he would appeal. The Arena Pernambuco has a capacity for 46,000 people