BRASILIA, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's Supreme Court (STF) on Tuesday ruled that Andrea Neves, sister of political figure Aecio Neves, should be kept in prison, almost a month after she was jailed on corruption charges.
Andrea Neves' defense team has asked for her to be freed, stating she is being accused of a recent crime, but the STF justices considered that releasing her could compromise her investigation.
Andrea Neves has been held since May 18 in preventive detention after she was accused of asking businessman Joesley Batista for 2 million reais (600,000 U.S. dollars) in bribes, which were given in suitcases to a cousin.
Her defense is that this money was a loan to pay for the defense of her brother, Aecio Neves, who is facing corruption charges of his own. She has also stated that her meeting with Batista was concerning the sale of an apartment in Rio de Janeiro.
Aecio Neves is the president of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party and lost the 2014 presidential election to Dilma Rousseff.
He is the focus of several investigations within Operation Lava Jato (Car Wash), which has already arrested numerous political and business figures. Four whistleblowers have accused Neves of corruption and bribery.
While the STF has jailed his sister, Aecio Neves is still facing charges of obstruction of justice, passive corruption and illicit association. The STF has also suspended him from his seat in the Senate.
Brazil's prosecutor-general, Rodrigo Janot, has also accused Aecio Neves of working with President Michel Temer to try and stop the Car Wash investigations.
