By Brennan Stark, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazil’s Minister of Labor Carlos Lupi asked police on Sunday to investigate one of his top advisers on corruption charges. The call follows an article by news magazine Veja regarding allegations that Anderson Alexandre dos Santos demanded payoffs from NGOs with government contracts.
The investigation is the latest in developments set forward by President Rousseff’s suspension of payments on October 31st to all NGOs in Brazil for thirty days while authorities determined whether or not any agencies had violated their contracts or embezzled public funds.
Lupi has stated that anyone found guilty of misappropriation of funding “will be punished in accordance with Brazilian law,” while at the same time denying allegations of bribery against himself.
The minister claims that charges against him were invented by businessmen upset over his investigation into their evasion of Social Security taxes and overtime pay to workers.
“These guys chose to take me down,” he explained, after detailing how he uncovered certain companies’ unlawful treatment of employees.
Veja also published charges against Minister of Sports Orlando Silva for embezzlement through a kickback scheme three weeks ago, resulting in his resignation twelve days later.
Read more (in Portuguese).
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