Interim President Says Plea-Bargain Accusations Are "Lies" and "Criminal"

06/17/2016 - 10h43

Worried about the impact of Sérgio Machado's plea-bargain testimony on his PMDB Party Administration's image and governability, Interim President Michel Temer, referred on Thursday the 16th to the accusations made on Wednesday the 15th by the former President of Transpetro as "lies" and "criminal" and went as far as saying that if he had committed the "irresponsible offense" claimed by Machado he "wouldn't even have the authority to govern the country".

Temer decided to make the statement without allowing for questions by journalists after evaluating that a note released on Wednesday the 15th hadn't had the desired effect and that it was necessary to make a "more forceful defense". In the note he had already denied having made any request for "illicit donations" by Machado.

"Anyone who had committed such an irresponsible offense as citizen Machado has claimed wouldn't even have the authority to govern the country", said Temer on Thursday morning in a pronouncement previously unscheduled by his press office.

In his statement, without opportunity for questions from the press, the PMDB leader stressed that he couldn't allow the accusations to go by without responding and guaranteed that no "fleeting fact" would interfere with governmental activity.

According to the plea-bargain testimony, in 2012 at an airbase in Brasilia, the current Interim President requested the donation of illicit resources to Gabriel Chalita's campaign for Mayor of São Paulo. Both Temer and Chalita deny the accusations.

The President's Press Office informed Folha that Temer wanted to show that, unlike president Dilma Rousseff who took a long time to manifest herself regarding accusations made against her, the PDMB leader would always respond immediately to any and all "types of insinuation" against him

In his declaration, the PMDB leader also made an evaluation of his administration's first month, leaving out the dismissal of Ministers Romero Jucá (Planning) and Fabiano Silveira (Transparency), who had both criticized the Lava Jato (Car Wash) Operation recordings.

He also failed to mention governmental setbacks like the re-establishment of the Culture Ministry after it had initially been eliminated.

On balance, he declared, that he had launched initiatives to "take the Country out of the depths of crisis that it is swimming in".

"We have eliminated Ministries, cut 4.200 free political appointments and 10.000 fixed positions", he affirmed.

He went on to say that he had developed a "very fertile" relationship with the National Congress, reestablishing harmony between the Executive and the Legislative.

"And we have started a fiscal adjustment, a new fiscal target, which is, as can we can see, more appropriate for the moment the Nation is passing through", he declared.

Translated by LLOYD HARDER

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