Public Ethics Commission to investigate minister's conduct

The Public Ethics Commission housed under the Presidency has decided to investigate the Minister of Government, Geddel Vieira Lima, for ethical misconduct. He has contacted former Culture minister Marcelo Calero to advance personal interests.

Calero resigned last Friday (Nov. 18) citing personal reasons, and in a weekend interview to Folha de S.Paulo newspaper, he said Vieira Lima pressured him to prevail upon the Institute of National Historic and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN) to give the thumbs-up to a luxury apartment tower project in a historic area in the city center of Salvador, Bahia. Lima has bought one of the apartments in the project.

IPHAN had denied permission for the project because it violated building height restrictions for the heritage area. In an interview to Folha, Geddel admitted to discussing the project with Calero, but denied putting any pressure.

José Saraiva, the Public Ethics Commission member in charge of reporting on the case, and whose home state, like Vieira Lima's, is Bahia, at first wanted more time to examine the case, but he changed his mind and joined the other members of the Committee in the decision to file an ethical proceeding.

The chair of the Committee, Mauro Menezes, said that Saraiva's conduct should not raise eyebrows,   because the reports had emerged in the last 48 hours then. “There was too little time for everyone to take a stance. We have Saraiva in high regard and think his position was justified,” he said.

Later, the Spokesman for the President, Alexandre Parola, said publicly that President Michel Temer had decided he would not fire Vieira Lima.

Geddel Vieira Lima, who is a member of Temer's PMDB party, has been elected as Federal Deputy for the state of Bahia for five consecutive times. Between 2007 and 2010, he served as Minister of National Integration under the administration of former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Translated by Mayra Borges