Supreme Court Votes to Making Chamber Speaker Defendant in Corruption Case

03/03/2016 - 09h27

On Tuesday, an STF (Federal Supreme Court) majority voted to move forward with the first lawsuit in the money laundering operation known as Lava Jato, and make Chamber president Eduardo Cunha (PMDB-RJ) a defendant over accusations of corruption and money laundering.

The acceptance of the denunciation was pulled by Lava Jato reporter and minister Teori Zavascki, who was supported by five other ministers. The judgment was postponed and will be resumed on Wednesday (3).

	Pedro Ladeira/Folhapress
	Chamber president Eduardo Cunha,involved in the payment of bribes.

Lava Jato reporter Teori accepted part of the denunciation made against Cunha and former deputy Solange Almeida (PMDB-RJ) by the Attorney General, which stated that they had been involved in the payment of bribes for Petrobras probe ship contracts.

If Cunha becomes a defendant in the case, the Federal Supreme Court will have to deliberate over another request made by the Attorney General, which calls for Cunha's removal from the Chamber presidency, over accusations that he used his position to meddle with the investigations working against him.

For Teori, Janot's accusation presented minimal evidence to support the claim that Cunha and his former colleague used their positions to push for the payment of bribes for contracts. According to the minister, Cunha "incorporated himself into the criminal machine".

Teori, however, rejected the part of the denunciation that said the two politicians participated in the initial arrangement for the probe ship contract deviations, which must have taken place between 2006 and 2007.

Ministers Carmen Lúcia, Marco Aurélio Mello, Edson Fachin, Luís Roberto Barroso and Rosa Weber followed Teori's vote.

In support of the defense, Cunha's lawyer Antônio Fernando de Souza stood before the Supreme Court and said that there are no documents to prove that the deputy accepted bribes.

Translated by SUGHEY RAMIREZ
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