brazil prosecutor charges president temer with corruption
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today
Arab Today, arab today
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

Brazil prosecutor charges President Temer with corruption

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today Brazil prosecutor charges President Temer with corruption

President Michel Temer
Brasília - Arab Today

Brazil's chief prosecutor on Thursday 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.

Temer was accused along with six heavyweight political allies, said Prosecutor General Rodrigo Janot's office in a statement.

The statement said Temer "acted as leader of a criminal organization" comprising senior officials from his center-right PMDB party, allegedly taking almost $190 million in kickbacks for contracts at public companies like oil giant Petrobras.

The alleged corruption 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.

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.

However, the president is widely thought to have enough support in Congress to avoid being forced to trial, allowing him to finish his term at the end of 2018.

Janot had already charged Temer with bribe-taking in June but the lower house of the legislature voted overwhelmingly to throw out the charge, preventing him from being tried at the Supreme Court.

"The second round of corruption charges against President Michel Temer is likely to be handily rejected," Eurasia Group said in an analysis note.

The charges are part of an onslaught by prosecutors against Brazil's corruption-riddled elite in which dozens of politicians and executives have been convicted or are being charged in embezzlement and bribery schemes.

- Meat baron key figure -

The three year old corruption probe known as "Car Wash" has discovered that big companies systematically paid bribes to politicians and party campaign coffers.

Former leftist president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a fierce opponent of Temer, has already been convicted in one corruption trial and faces five more.

Temer's rightwing allies are faring no better. About a third of his cabinet is being probed.

There has been even greater urgency in recent days as the hard-hitting Janot winds down his term as chief prosecutor, with his last day at work Sunday.

Just on Thursday, police raided the home of wealthy Agriculture Minister Blairo Maggi, who is accused of obstructing justice, and a day earlier they arrested Wesley Batista, CEO of the world's biggest meatpacker, JBS.

In a last-ditch bid to stop Janot, Temer's lawyers appealed to the Supreme Court to have him taken off the case for alleged bias, but on Wednesday the court ruled 9-0 to keep the prosecutor.

The latest charges broaden their scope to Temer's inner party circle and will tarnish his reputation even further.

According to prosecutors, their criminal group amassed "at least 587 million reais ($189 million)" in kickbacks.

Two of those charged along with Temer were key ministers and political allies Eliseu Padilha and Moreira Franco.

Another was a former minister, Geddel Vieira Lima, who was imprisoned last week after police discovered the equivalent of $16 million in cash stuffed into boxes and suitcases in an apartment he used.

One of the keys to the prosecutors' obstruction of justice case has been plea deal evidence from JBS executive Joesely Batista, brother of Wesley Batista. They agreed to cooperate with investigators after admitting that their company had bribed no less than 1,900 politicians.

It was Joesely Batista who met with Temer at his Brasilia residence in March and secretly recorded the president allegedly discussing payment of hush money to prevent former allies from testifying against him. Temer denies that the recording shows anything incriminating.

However, the plea deal testimony from both Batista brothers is being challenged by Temer's lawyers at the Supreme Court in the wake of revelations that Joesley Batista withheld information from prosecutors.

That led to the leniency agreement signed with the brothers being stripped and Joesley Batista being arrested Sunday.

Wesley was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of insider trading to profit from the market upheaval created by the scandal.

Source: AFP

arabstoday
arabstoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

brazil prosecutor charges president temer with corruption brazil prosecutor charges president temer with corruption

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

brazil prosecutor charges president temer with corruption brazil prosecutor charges president temer with corruption

 



GMT 10:10 2017 Thursday ,09 February

3 Important Elements You Have to Consider

GMT 04:03 2017 Monday ,24 April

Bella Hadid ‘dying’ to visit Palestine

GMT 19:25 2016 Wednesday ,25 May

The Brooklyn Desk by Oeuf NYC

GMT 07:49 2018 Friday ,05 January

2 Russian servicemen killed

GMT 07:58 2018 Monday ,01 January

Italy orders N. Korea's envoy to leave

GMT 08:45 2017 Wednesday ,20 December

US military imagines war without GPS

GMT 17:26 2017 Sunday ,17 December

Putin thanks Trump for help in foiling attack plot

GMT 22:19 2017 Monday ,16 October

Cairo-hosted Fatwa conf. new contribution

GMT 02:27 2016 Friday ,10 June

Video hints Japan abetting illegal ivory trade

GMT 07:04 2017 Wednesday ,19 April

1,883 Bahrainis found jobs in March

GMT 14:24 2016 Tuesday ,22 November

Citi and JPMorgan top list of ‘globally banks’

GMT 21:43 2017 Friday ,01 September

People question Nazaruddin`s repatriation expenses

GMT 09:41 2017 Wednesday ,19 April

OIC concerned over violence in Mali

GMT 01:30 2017 Friday ,27 October

May22/Jun21

GMT 05:38 2016 Friday ,30 December

Dubai Airports divert 13 flights due to heavy fog

GMT 11:38 2017 Saturday ,14 January

Mexico names new ambassador to US

GMT 12:03 2017 Wednesday ,22 March

Kuwait to mark World Water Day

GMT 15:00 2017 Wednesday ,27 September

HM King receives invitation from Egyptian President

GMT 02:45 2017 Tuesday ,05 December

President Bashir arrives in Chad

GMT 02:45 2017 Wednesday ,16 August

Turkmen President Visits Pakistan
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday