Brazil lower house rejects charges against President Temer

In a session held Wednesday (Oct. 25), Brazilian lawmakers rejected the request filed by federal prosecutors to probe into corruption allegations targeting President Michel Temer as well as his cabinet members Eliseu Padilha, chief of staff, and Moreira Franco,  secretary-general. A little over a month ago the request had been submitted to the lower house by the Supreme Court, as mandated by the Constitution.

In a meeting that lasted over eight hours, 251 legislators opposed the request, against 233 deputies who voted in favor of investigations. Two abstained. To be accepted, the report should have received 342 votes. It is now the job of house speaker Rodrigo Maia to notify the Supreme Court of the decision.

The charges

This is the second round of charges sent to the country's top court against the president. In June, then Prosecutor-General Rodrigo Janot had lodged corruption charges against Temer. This time, Temer was accused of spearheading a criminal organization from 2016 to 2017. Temer and other PMDB (Brazilian Democratic Movement Party) members are alleged to have been involved in illicit acts in exchange of bribes by means of a number of public agencies. Also targeted were members of a group usually referred to as “the PMDB in Congress:” Eduardo Cunha, Henrique Alves, Geddel Vieira Lima, Rodrigo Rocha Loures, Eliseu Padilha e Moreira Franco—all of them deny any wrongdoing.

The outcome halts the case until the end of 2018, when Temer's mandate is through, after which he loses the privilege of being tried only by the Supreme Court and the case passes over to federal authorities.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira