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The Widening Corruption Investigation Federal police in Brazil have carried out more than a dozen raids as part of a widening corruption investigation, including one targeting a senator closely allied with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. On Thursday, Brazilian police released a statement saying 18 search-and-seizure warrants were executed in the federal district of Brasilia, as well as the states of Bahia and Sao Paulo. The Senator at the Center of the Scandal One involved Senator Jaques Wagner, 75, a former Bahia governor who helps lead the governing Workers’ Party coalition in Congress. The warrants were part of an ongoing probe into financial “irregularities” tied to the former lending bank Banco Master. Brazil’s courts ordered the bank to be liquidated last year, and in March, its owner, Daniel Vorcaro, was arrested as he faced accusations of fraud, money laundering and other crimes. The Alleged Illicit Relationship Brazil’s Supreme Court authorised the search warrant to allow investigators to explore a “possible illicit relationship” between Banco Master and Senator Wagner. It added that Wagner may have received “undue economic advantages” through his connection to the bank, including access to private planes and compensation, such as millions of dollars and an apartment. The Impact on the Presidential Race The mushrooming scandal has grown to touch both sides of Brazil’s political spectrum — and could even be a factor in the country’s upcoming presidential race in October. In May, the publication The Intercept Brasil released a series of alleged WhatsApp messages between Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, a right-wing presidential candidate, and Vorcaro, the disgraced bank leader. The messages purportedly show Bolsonaro courting Vorcaro to finance a film about the life of his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently in prison serving a 27-year sentence for attempting to subvert Brazil’s democracy. The Future Outlook Seeking to shore up support, Senator Bolsonaro released on Thursday 12 points of priority for his government, should he be elected president. They included building five new maximum security prisons, deploying extra forces to Brazil’s borders to stop irregular migration, and reducing the age of criminal responsibility from 18 to 16. Crime is expected to be a top issue in October’s race.