Corruption case judge dies in Brazil crash

SAO PAULO — Authorities on Friday were investigating a plane crash that killed the Supreme Court justice in charge of a major corruption case just weeks before he was scheduled to issue a ruling that could have revealed accusations against politicians in several Latin American countries.

Investigators allege inflated contracts with state oil giant Petrobras and other state-run companies to pay for bribes and election campaigns.

The small plane went down in heavy rains Thursday just off the coast of Paraty, a colonial town and popular vacation spot about 155 miles west of Rio de Janeiro.

While the “Car Wash” probe has been led by a team of prosecutors and Judge Sergio Moro in the southern city of Curitiba, Zavascki handled cases involving politicians.

Federal police and the public prosecutor have opened investigations into the crash, and the prosecutor’s office said Friday that it has asked aviation authorities for documents about the plane’s maintenance and recordings of conversations between the pilot and air traffic controllers.