Brazil prosecutor charges President Temer with corruption
BRAS LIA: Brazil’s chief prosecutor charged President Michel Temer with obstruction of justice and leading a criminal group in the biggest climax yet to the country’s ever- growing corruption scandal.
The leader of Latin America’s biggest and richest country was accused along with six of his heavyweight political allies of taking almost US$ 190 million in kickbacks.
In a statement, the office of Prosecutor General Rodrigo Janot charged that Temer ‘acted as leader of a criminal organisation’ comprising senior officials from his center-right PMDB party.
They allegedly took the kickbacks in exchange for contracts at public companies like oil giant Petrobras.
The alleged ring operated from May 2016, when Temer first took over from leftist president Dilma Rousseff following her impeachment, Janot’s office said.
The prosecutor’s office said Temer also obstructed justice by attempting to pay bribes to prevent businessman Lucio Funaro – an alleged middleman in the bribery – from testifying against him under a plea deal with prosecutors.
Temer fired back soon after, calling Janot’s accusations ‘absurd’ and accusing the prosecutor of “continuing his irresponsible conduct in order to mask his own mistakes.”
The criminal charges must be first accepted by the Supreme Court before being sent for debate in the lower house.
If the house accepts the charges and a trial starts, Temer would be suspended for 180 days, pending the result. — AFP