Brazilian Government Maneuvers and Rejects Report Against President Temer

07/14/2017 - 10h39

After a long series of maneuvers by the Brazilian government, which changed significantly the Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJ) in the lower house of Congress to fill it with allies, on Thursday, July 13, the congressional committee decided to reject a recommendation to try Brazil's president Michel Temer for corruption.

The Prosecutor General's Office accuses the president of corruption in the JBS case.

The commission's result was already expected as the government had been acting to substitute federal legislators who threatened to vote against the government.

As congressman Sergio Zveiter's report was rejected, a new rapporteur was appointed – Paulo Abi-Ackel (PSDB-MG) –, and the committee approved a new report, this time in favor of Temer.

The final decision, however, will be made during a plenary sitting in the Lower House. The sitting is scheduled for August 2. During the event, opponents of the president will need 342 of the 513 votes to make proceedings reach the Supreme Court.

The government dislikes the long wait. It fears that the prolonged damage caused by the political crisis may lead to a defeat.

If the accusation is accepted by the Supreme Court, Temer will be suspended for up to six months while proceedings are ongoing.

Translated by THOMAS MUELLO

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	Pedro Ladeira/Folhapress
	A congressional committee rejected a recommendation to try president Michel Temer for corruption