In less than a year after Brazil’s Senate voted for the dismissal of former President Dilma Rousseff from office for manipulating the budget, President Michel Temer, who was sworn in to serve out Ms Rousseff’s term until 1 January 2019, is treading on similar grounds.
Embattled Brazil’s President, Mr. Michel Temer, is facing charges that could see him suspended from office as the police unfold bribery evidence against him.
The federal police on Tuesday said it had solid evidence that the president received bribes, a legal development that could see him suspended from office.
In a report, the Federal Supreme Court said Temer — who was away in Russia — benefited from bribe funds, even if he did so using someone else to collect or deposit the bribes.
While President Temer has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, Brazil’s top court said it had accumulated enough evidence of bribes being paid to merit an investigation into Temer for “passive corruption.”
“Faced with silence from the president and his former assistant, there is irrefutable evidence… showing strongly that passive corruption took place,” the document said in part.
The report referred to the president’s relationship with suspended lawmaker Rodrigo Rocha Loures, who is in jail. Rocha Loures was filmed with a suitcase stuffed with a 150,000-dollar payoff from a JBS executive.
National Daily had reported the ousting of former President Dilma Rousseff from office for manipulating the budget by the Senate last September.
Sixty-one senators voted in favour of her dismissal and 20 against, meeting the two-thirds majority needed to remove her from the presidency.
ALSO SEE: Presidency replies Keyamo
Michel Temer had been serving as acting President during the impeachment proceedings and sworn in as President to serve out Ms Rousseff’s term until 1 January 2019.
Ms Rousseff was suspended in May 2016 after the Senate voted to go ahead with the impeachment process. She was accused of moving funds between government budgets, which is illegal under Brazilian law.
Her critics said she was trying to plug deficit holes in popular social programmes to boost her chances of being re-elected in 2014.
Ms Rousseff fought the allegations, arguing that her right-wing rivals had been trying to remove her from office ever since her re-election.