Brazil former president, Fernando Collor, has been arrested early and ordered to begin serving a prison sentence stemming from his 2023 conviction for corruption, The Guardian reported.

Collor was convicted of receiving 20m reais ($3.5m) to facilitate contracts between BR Distribuidora, a fuel distributor formerly controlled by the state-owned oil company Petrobras, and construction firm UTC Engenharia for the construction of fuel distribution bases. In return, he offered political support for the appointment of executives at BR Distribuidora when it was still state-owned.

Collor, who led the country from 1990 to 1992, was sentenced to eight years and 10 months, to be served initially in prison, rather than under house arrest. He was arrested on Friday in the northeastern state of Alagoas, according to The Guardian.

Under the Brazilian legal system, cases concerning members of Congress, presidents and ministers go directly to the supreme court. He was not yet in prison because his lawyers were still lodging appeals.