President denies wrongdoing after corruption charge
RIO DE JANEIRO — In a scathing 64-page indictment, Brazil’s top prosecutor described a scheming, arrogant and corrupt President Michel Temer who lined his pockets with illegal money while showing little regard for the office he represented.
Whether Attorney General Rodrigo Janot’s formal accusation late Monday pressures Temer to consider resigning — he has insisted he won’t and denied any wrongdoing — could depend on the reaction of lawmakers and the markets in Latin America’s largest nation in the days and weeks ahead.
When Janot opened the investigation last month, the markets tanked and Brazil’s real currency fell sharply against the U.S. dollar. Lawmakers, particularly members of Temer’s coalition, then spent several weeks soul-searching about whether to stick with the president or bail on him because of fears that association could be toxic for election chances next year. Now they have much more to consider.
“There will be a tug-of-war between the executive branch and society for support in Congress,” said Fabiano Angelico, a Sao Paulo consultant, adding that ultimately lawmakers “want to get re-elected.”
The corruption accusation against Temer for allegedly taking bribes gives him the dubious distinction of being the first sitting president in Latin America’s largest nation to face criminal charges. It’s the latest salvo in an intensifying showdown between Temer and justice officials who are building a corruption case that reaches to the highest levels.
In his first comments since the attorney general formally accused him of corruption, Temer called the charge against him fiction, saying there is no proof that he took bribes.
Speaking to reporters and allies in the capital Brasilia, Temer said his career and life had been “productive” and “clean.” He added that as a lawyer, he knows when accusations had basis and when they don’t.
The case now goes to the lower Chamber of Deputies in Congress, which must decide whether it has merit. If twothirds of the legislature decides that it does, then the president will be suspended for up to 180 days while a trial is conducted. House Speaker Rodrigo Maia, an ally of Temer, would be president in the interim.
In his decision, Janot said that at some point between March and April of this year, Temer took a bribe of about $150,000 offered by Joesly Batista, former chairman of meat-packing giant JBS.
Janot’s investigation into Temer was looking into corruption, obstruction of justice and being part of a criminal organization. A recording emerged that apparently captured Temer, in a late-night conversation with Batista earlier this year, endorsing hush money to former House Speaker Eduardo Cunha, a former Temer ally who is serving a 15-year sentence for corruption.