As part of a massive corruption investigation, former Brazilian President, Michel Temer has been arrested in São Paulo.

Mr Temer who was arrested in his hometown of São Paulo and will be flown to Rio de Janeiro, has consistently denied any wrongdoing Mr, Temer, a seventy-eight-year-old lawyer who was in office from 2016 to 2018, is being investigated in several cases and had his arrest considered imminent after he lost his legal protection when he left office.

Mr. Temer, from the centre-right MDB party, took over the Brazilian presidency in August 2016 following the impeachment of leftist Dilma Rousseff, a process in which he played a key role.

While in office, Mr Temer was hit by corruption charges which were blocked by his allies in Congress hence deeply unpopular, and was replaced in January by far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.

Operation Car Wash’s most high-profile conviction is of former leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is now serving 12 years in jail for corruption.

Many politicians and business leaders have been convicted or charged as part of the so-called Operation Car Wash.