Marcelo Odebrecht's Testimony Is a Series of Lies, According to Dilma

04/04/2017 - 12h17

In an interview with Folha, on the eve of a trial in the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) that could deem the ticket that won the 2014 presidential bid illegitimate, former president Dilma Rousseff said that Marcelo Odebrecht - the former CEO and heir of the Odebrecht construction firm - "was put under a lot of pressure" before taking a plea bargain, and that his testimonies are "absolutely ridiculous".

"Don't come to me with some minor testimony made by someone who was subjected to a form of torture, or rather, someone who was coerced into doing someone", she said.

Asked whether she believed the ticket could be deemed illegitimate, Dilma said: "once again, an injustice is being done based on a testimony [made by Odebrecht] that is absolutely deplorable".

She also criticized the idea of separating the presidential ticket's accounting. "We covered all of his expenditures", she stated, referring to current president, Michel Temer. The TSE (Superior Electoral Court) will begin to try the Dilma Rousseff-Michel Temer ticket on Tuesday (4).

If the ticket is deemed illegitimate, Temer will be forced to step down, and a new president will be chosen by Congress.

Translated by THOMAS MATHEWSON

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