RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's Supreme Court began Thursday a trial of what is being called the nation's largest bribery scandal, which involves numerous officials in former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's administration.

A total of 38 defendants, many of them congressmen, are accused of taking part in a massive vote-buying scheme in Brazil's Congress, with accusations ranging from corruption to fraud, money laundering and tax evasion.

News of the scandal first surfaced in 2005, during Lula's first term, in an article in the daily Folha de Sao Paulo.

Congressman Roberto Jefferson told the daily that high-profile leaders of Lula's Workers Party were paying large sums of money to congressmen in exchange for their support of government projects and votes in favor of bills in the house.

Jefferson, who admitted to taking part in the scheme, accused Jose Dirceu, who was Lula's Chief of Staff at the time, of heading the operation, saying another three leaders of the Workers Party were involved in the political coordination of the scheme.

The money paid to congressmen was being laundered through companies owned by publicist Marcos Valerio, which had contracts with the federal government, according to Jefferson. Several banks provided financial support for the operation.

The Supreme Court is in charge of the entire case, as many of the defendants were congressional members who can only be prosecuted by court. Enditem

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