Ethics Commission Will Investigate Three of Temer's Ministers

04/28/2017 - 11h39

On Thursday, April 27, the ethics commission of the Presidency of the Republic began investigation proceedings agasint Ministers Eliseu Padilha (Presidential Chief of Staff), Moreira Franco (General Secretary) and Gilberto Kassab (Communication) in the face of the accusations made against them in the Lava Jato operation.

The commission will investigate whether the three ministers, who were in office as ministers when the alleged crimes occurred, committed infringements such as influence peddling and conflict of interests.

The commission will also analyze the ministers' current relations with construction company Odebrecht. If any infringement is proved, the code of the high federal administration calls for warnings against them, and recommends President Temer exonerate the three ministers - Temer will make the final decision on whether the misters will suffer any penalties.

The ethics commission set a ten-day deadline for the ministers to state their defenses. The investigations were begun after the commission received two accusations based on plea bargains of Odebrecht executives that were ratified by the country's Supreme Court.

The accusations also included other ministers against whom investigations were begun at the Supreme Court. However, the requests against them were shelved at the ethics commission because at the time of the alleged infringements, they were not in office at the Executive branch.

The three ministers cited and targeted by the investigation deny having committed any breach.

Translated by THOMAS MUELLO

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