Former Brazilian President Fernando Collor de Mello has been taken into custody following a ruling by the country’s top court that confirmed his prison sentence for corruption and money laundering. The decision marks another chapter in Brazil’s ongoing struggle with political corruption at the highest levels of government.

Collor, 75, was sentenced to nearly nine years in prison for accepting illicit payments to facilitate contracts between a construction firm and BR Distribuidora, a former subsidiary of the state-run oil giant Petrobras. Prosecutors alleged that Collor used his political influence to secure deals in exchange for financial kickbacks.

The Supreme Federal Court rejected Collor’s final attempt to overturn the arrest order, clearing the way for law enforcement to detain him. Collor was arrested in Brazil’s northeastern region, according to a police source.

This is not Collor’s first brush with controversy. He was forced to resign as president in 1992 amid a massive corruption scandal that led Congress to initiate impeachment proceedings. Collor’s conviction adds him to a growing list of Brazilian presidents who have faced legal trouble in recent decades.

Four out of seven presidents who have governed Brazil since the end of the military dictatorship in 1985 have now been impeached, convicted, or jailed. Another former president, Jair Bolsonaro, is facing trial over allegations of orchestrating a coup attempt following his loss in the 2022 presidential election.