RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazilian police have arrested former Rio de Janeiro governor Sergio Cabral and nine other people on corruption charges concerning the misuse of city state funds.

In all, police officers undertook nearly 40 property searches.

Cabral and the others accused are alleged to have received bribes in exchange for granting public works such as the redevelopment for the 2014 World Cup and Rio Olympics of the Maracanã stadium and the construction of a metropolitan ring road.

In addition to Cabral, the police also detained his former Rio state government secretary, Carlos Wilson, and former Secretary of Works Hudson Braga.

According to the federal police, its Operacao Calicut was triggered by the whistleblower executives of construction companies Andrade Gutierrez and Carioca Engenharia, on bribery charges in exchange for government grants for Maracana and other work.

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