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Brazilian president tries to rally support after being charged with corruption Brazil faces fresh turmoil after President Temer charged with corruption
(35 minutes later)
The Brazilian president, Michel Temer, is trying to rally support in Congress after becoming the country’s first sitting head of state to be formally charged with a crime. Brazil is bracing for a fresh bout of political turmoil after the president, Michel Temer, became the country’s first sitting head of state to be formally charged with a crime.
The deeply unpopular leader now faces a lower house vote on whether he should be tried by the supreme court for taking bribes. Less than a year after taking power, the deeply unpopular leader was formally accused of corruption by the attorney general Rodrigo Janot on Monday night and could now face a lower house vote on whether he should be tried by the supreme court for taking bribes.
The latest challenge to his administration – which is barely a year old – was sparked by the attorney general Rodrigo Janot, who submitted a corruption charge on Monday night, alleging that Temer took millions of dollars in bribes from meat-packing giant JBS. In a damning indictment to the supreme court, Janot alleged Temer took millions of dollars in bribes from meat-packing giant JBS. The attorney general said the president had “fooled Brazilian citizens” and compromised the image of the country.
In a damning document to the supreme court, Janot said Temer “fooled Brazilian citizens” and compromised the image of the country. Temer has yet to respond, but he has previously denied similar accusations, which are based on secretly recorded conversations and plea-bargain testimonies by JBS executives. Aides claim Janot is engaged in a political witch-hunt.
Temer has yet to respond, but he has previously denied similar accusations. Aides claim the attorney general is engaged in a political witch-hunt. The ruling coalition currently has sufficient votes to defend the president in Congress, where a two-thirds majority would have to approve a trial. But the looming battle will further undermine the credibility of Temer, whose approval ratings have slumped to 7%.
The ruling coalition currently has sufficient votes to defend the president in Congress, where a two-thirds majority would have to approve a trial. But the looming battle will further undermine the credibility of Temer, whose approval ratings have slumped to 7% less than a year after he seized power by plotting the impeachment of his former running mate, Dilma Rousseff. His predecessor Dilma Rousseff – who was ousted in an impeachment plot in May 2016 – was quick to note that her former running mate was now accused of greater crimes than those for which she was removed from office last year.
Janot opened an investigation last month into Temer for corruption, obstruction of justice and being part of a criminal organization. “The result of the 2016 coup: leaving the country in the hands of the only president indicted for corruption,” she tweeted.
A recording emerged that apparently captured Temer, in a late-night conversation with JBS executive Joesley 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. Janot launched an investigation last month into Temer for bribery, obstruction of justice and activity in a criminal organization.
Batista reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. Police have since confirmed the authenticity of the recording and declared there is sufficient evidence to indict the president. These allegations followed the release of a secret recording of a late-night conversation earlier this year between Temer and the JBS executive Joesley Batista, in which the president appeared to endorse hush money payoffs to former house speaker Eduardo Cunha, a member of Temer’s party who is serving a 15-year sentence for corruption. Police have since confirmed the authenticity of the recording and said there is sufficient evidence to indict the president.
Allies of Temer have been torn between continuing to support the beleaguered leader or abandoning for fear that association could be toxic during elections next year. “The circumstances of this meeting [with Batista] – at night and without any register in the official schedule of the president of the Republic – reveal the intent not to leave traces of the criminal actions already taken,” Janot claimed.
Janot’s 64-page decision was a blistering assessment of Temer and his actions as Brazil’s top leader. Janot said bribes to Temer could have reached about $12m over nine months, and that in general Temer showed a total disregard for the office. Temer has resisted pressure to stand down and tried to demonstrate leadership last week by making an official visit to Norway and Russia. But his attempt to shift the focus backfired when Norway’s prime minister, Erna Solberg, publicly lectured him on the need for Brazil to deal with its corruption woes.
“The circumstances of this meeting [with Batista] – at night and without any register in the official schedule of the president of the Republic – reveal the intent of not leaving traces of the criminal actions already taken,” wrote Janot. Norway also halved its contribution to an Amazon rainforest fund due to the Brazilian government’s failure to address accelerating deforestation.
Temer had started the week attempting to to show that his government conducting business as usual, defiantly saying he wasn’t going anywhere in his first comments since returning from an overseas trip last week that was filled with gaffes and mounting bad news. Analysts say Temer’s position is weakening as major news outlets turn against him and some allies – such as former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso – call on him to resign.
In Norway, the prime minister, Erna Solberg, told him Brazil needed to deal with its corruption woes. Norway also halved its contribution to an Amazon rainforest fund due to the Brazil’s government’s failure to address accelerating deforestation. “Temer has never been so fragile,” said Lúcio Flávio Rodrigues de Almeida, a politics professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo. “His support levels are at a low and continue to fall. There is also a strike under way. This make make him suffer pressure even from his allies. He is on a tightrope.”
The increased deforestation began before Temer took power last year, but environmentalists argue his policies are aggravating the situation. However, the president still has the backing of the leader of the lower house, Rodrigo Maia, who could block the judicial process. The main business group, the National Confederation of Industries, also continues to endorse him in the hope that he will push through pension and labour reforms which will help companies.
“It was a trip to distract people from the problems in politics,” said Mauricio Santoro, a political scientist at the State University of Rio de Janeiro. “It ended up being a disaster.” Temer – a constitutional scholar – has changed justice minister twice this year in an attempt to strengthen his hand when dealing with judges, prosecutors and police, but time could wear him and his congressional majority down, particularly if Janot files other accusations.
Even stalwart allies have begun to bail on Temer. “This crisis will not be solved today or even this week. There is a big change of this dragging out for a long time and perhaps only coming to a conclusion towards the end of the year,” said Rogério Arantes, a political scientist at the University of São Paulo. “Temer has the capacity to resist, due to his base in Congress, which needs to authorise the accusations against the president. This fact might help him in the next days and weeks, but in the next months, it’s impossible to say.”
Former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso, who initially supported Temer and is a key leader of the junior coalition party, said in an article published by daily Folha de S.Paulo on Monday that the president could end the crisis by ushering in new elections sooner than the end of his mandate, which goes through 2018. His fate is likely to depend on whether ruling party legislators consider him a liability ahead of next year’s presidential election or whether they feel he can push through unpopular reforms.
“I plead with the president to meditate over the opportunity of such a gesture of greatness,” said Cardoso. “The proximity to the voters at this point could be an important factor in determining whether his allies will continue their support,” said Mara Telles, a professor at Federal University of Minas Gerais.
Additional reporting by Shanna Hanbury