By Lise Alves, Senior Contributing Reporter
SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – President of Brazil, Michel Temer, recorded a victory on Tuesday (October 10th) as a report by the Chamber of Deputies recommended that the latest charges against the Brazilian leader for obstruction of justice be rejected by the Lower House.
This is the second time charges against Temer are reviewed, and rejected, by the Chamber. Calling it ‘spurious allegations, without credibility’ House Representative Bonifacio de Andrada stated no just cause for the continuation of the criminal action against the President.
Andrada was chosen to be the rapporteur in the committee created to review the latest charges presented by former top prosecutor, Rodrigo Janot, against the President and cabinet members Eliseu Padilha (Chief of Staff) and Moreira Franco (General Secretariat).
Later this month the entire Chamber is expected to vote on whether or not to accept the accusations. If the charges are accepted, President Temer will be suspended for up to 180 days while the Senate, presided by the Supreme Court, hears the evidence against the President.
During the hour-and-a-half long reading of his recommendation Andrada criticized the Prosecutors’ Office stating that it ‘extrapolated its attribution’ by accusing the President, top government officials and political parties of forming a criminal organization.
“It is unacceptable to consider that a political party is an association for criminal purposes. It is not like a criminal organization,” stated Andrada in his report.
According to Andrada, to accept the charges against Temer ‘would represent a crisis of high proportions for the Brazilian people and for the development of institutions, all due to a complaint clearly dubious’, he said.
Earlier this year, Janot accused President Temer of corruption in the case involving secret recordings by former CEO Joesley Batista where the President is heard supporting the payment of bribes to disgraced politicians in exchange for their silence.
The charges were rejected by the Lower House and the case was dropped.