The fanfare during the weekend over the Olympic Games now underway in Rio de Janiero did little to distract prosecutors working on one of the largest corruption probes ever seen in Brazil – as both interim-President Michel Temer and Foreign Minister José Serra have both been implicated in the latest leaks from the investigation into the corruption scandal at state oil firm Petrobras.
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Eduardo Cunha, who spearheaded the impeachment process as president of the Chamber of Deputies, for example, has been indicted in the scandal known as Operation Car Wash involving the state-owned oil company Petrobras and was suspended by Brazil’s Supreme Court on May 5 due to allegations that he attempted to intimidate members of Congress and obstructed investigations into his alleged receipt of bribes. Much of the ire has been directed at Brazil’s acting President Michel Temer, who backed impeachment proceedings against suspended President Dilma Rousseff, who is now on trial in the Senate.
Many have protested the Olympics on the streets of Rio, and these protests have reached a boiling point today with authorities using tear gas to disperse the crowd. If she’s ousted permanently, Mr. Temer will finish out her term, which runs through 2018.
Polls show both Rousseff is deeply unpopular and Temer only slightly less so.
If Odebrecht’s allegation is true and accepted as legal testimony in court, it could complicate Temer’s efforts to secure his presidency by turning undecided senators against the conviction of Rousseff in her impeachment trial. Veja based its reporting on portions of a plea-bargain agreement between the former CEO of construction giant Odebrecht SA and prosecutors.
Veja quoted Temer’s office as confirming the dinner and a discussion on “financial aid from Odebrecht construction to the PMDB’s electoral campaign in complete accordance with electoral legislation”. The interim president hoped to dismiss those doubts as he officially opened the Games at Friday night’s ceremony. But Temer was still greeted with boos.
“We are alerting the public that these kinds of manifestations are not allowed inside the venues”, Rio 2016 organizing committee spokesman Mario Andrada told journalists.
Twice, spectators were removed from their seats or expelled from stadiums because they called for the ouster of the interim president.
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The Brazilian agency that provides protection for major events (SESGE) said in a statement its agents were asked to intervene by spectators at the archery venue because the protester was shouting while competitors were taking aim. The Senate will determine her fate shortly after the closing ceremonies. She condemns the process as a coup.
