To let Cunha off the hook after impeaching Rousseff would be “total cynicism” and an “outrage” for Brazilians, the country’s largest circulation newspaper, the Folha de S.Paulo, wrote in an editorial on Monday.
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A banner that reads in Portuguese “Cunha Out!” is placed on the floor of the Chamber of Deputies during Eduardo Cunha’s trial. The Rio-based politician was a leader in the Brazil Democratic Movement Party (from which Mr. Temer also comes), a political organization that eschews ideology in favour of holding power.
Eduardo Cunha, the man dubbed Brazil’s most corrupt, and former speaker of the lower house has been stripped of his seat.
Cunha is accused of receiving millions of dollars in bribes linked to the corruption scandal at state-run oil giant Petrobras.
At least three businessmen have said under interrogation that they paid bribes to Cunha, which they deposited in his overseas accounts.
Cunha was known for being one of the main articulators in former President Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment process.
Cunha’s fate has many politicians anxious because he has threatened to bring down others by revealing cases of corruption that could endanger members of the government of Brazil’s new President Michel Temer and derail his fiscal reform agenda.
Temer’s popularity is perhaps worse than that of Rousseff, as some labelled her impeachment as a coup.
Cunha was first suspended in May, less than a month after lawmakers voted to open impeachment proceedings against Rousseff. Leaving Congress in the early hours of Tuesday, he stopped to speak to reporters and deliver a last veiled threat, saying he planned to write a book that would contain “all the conversations” he had during the impeachment, adding, “I have a very good memory”.
About 60 percent of the 513 lawmakers in Brazil’s lower house are under investigation for various allegations, according to watchdog group Transparency Brazil.
Prosecutors accuse Cunha of corruption and money laundering for his role in negotiating Petrobras contracts for drill ships and say he received an illegal payment of $5 million.
The charges were brought against Cunha after officials in Switzerland said they had discovered a number of accounts tied to his wife.
But the only issue at play in his ouster was whether he lied about having secret Swiss bank accounts reportedly worth the equivalent of $2.5 million. He denies any wrongdoing in the Petrobras case.
Cunha’s downfall could cause problems for new President Michel Temer, especially if Cunha decides to cooperate with prosecutors in any kind of plea deal.
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His defense collapsed once Swiss authorities proved Cunha possessed several numbered bank accounts in the Alpine country. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article. Some believe he has similar accounts in the US.
