Cunha’s power began to erode in the middle of previous year after a plea bargain deal led to testimony linking him to multimillion-dollar Swiss bank accounts. Mr. Cunha has been indicted on charges of collecting millions in bribes in.
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Cunha was accused of lying to a Congressional committee about having Swiss bank accounts, but the now former federal representative argued with representatives during the session that he was a victim of revenge by the PT (Worker’s Party) for having accepted the legislative process that eventually led to the impeachment of former President Dilma Rousseff.
That led to a game of brinkmanship with Ms Rousseff that has now ended with both politicians kicked out of office.
Brazil’s President Michel Temer announced the first infrastructure contracts to be auctioned by his government as part of an effort to improve efficiency in the economy and raise cash to cover a near-record budget deficit.
But after his success in delivering April’s vote to impeach, Mr Cunha’s position began to unravel quickly.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) The once powerful speaker of Congress’ lower house is the latest top politician to fall before the mammoth corruption scandals that have caused widespread anger among Brazilians. “The general defeat of Cunha is also a defeat of Temer”.
Cunha has been considered the architect behind the impeachment of former President Dilma Roussef. “Each branch exercises its role and it would be absurd for the Executive Branch to want to interfere with the Judiciary”, said the Brazilian leader in an interview published on Sunday by the daily O Globo. “The current administration adopted the agenda of removing me from office”.
By being voted out, Cunha loses partial immunity from prosecution offered to members of Congress and high-ranking politicians. That means the several corruption cases he faces will now go to a lower court judge who is famous for locking up prominent figures. Prosecutors accuse Cunha of corrup. He is charged with receiving up to tens of millions illegally in bribes.
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The wrongdoings in question include lying about his role in accepting bribes in the Petrobras scandal and about having illegal, multi-million dollar accounts overseas in Switzerland and embezzling millions more with his wife Cláudia Cruz. Cunha has warned he could tell all in a plea bargain that could compromise many in a discredited political establishment.
