RIO DE JANEIRO - Six senior officials at Brazil's transport ministry were sacked Tuesday for a simmering corruption scandal that already forced the former transport minister to step down.

The officials were fired due to suspected involvements in overbilling several state infrastructure projects, a scandal which was first unveiled by the local weekly news magazine Veja.

President Dilma Rousseff has ordered a suspension of all the ministry's public bidding activities until investigation ends.

Alfredo Nascimento, the former transport minister, resigned two weeks ago after local newspaper O Globe questioned an abrupt remarkable profit increase in the construction company owned by his son.

Nascimento is the second cabinet member who resigned over corruption allegations since Rousseff took office in January.