Brazilian President Michel Temer Faces Charges Of £9 Million Bribery

Brazil's president has been charged with with corruption offences by the country's top prosecutor. Michel Temer is accused of accepting millions of dollars in bribes from one of Brazil's largest meatpacking bosses and is now facing a potential trial. Temer denies all wrongdoing.

The accusations against the Brazilian president are grave: it is alleged that he discussed 38 million reals (£9 million) in bribes with Joesley Batista, chair of the influential JBS meat company, thought to be the world's largest. A tape has been released that includes Temer and Batista talking openly about the bribery of witnesses.

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Prosecutor Rodrigo Janot has handed the charge to the Supreme Court with the claim that Temer "fooled Brazilian citizens" and that he owed the nation millions.

Now, the accusations will go before the lower house of the Brazilian Parliament, who must vote by a two thirds majority if Temer is to face a trial. It is expected that they will block the move, though many lawmakers have warned that repeated attempts to block an investigation of the President will damage the already plummeting popularity ratings of the country's leader.

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Michel Temer became President of Brazil in August 2016 after his predecessor, Dilma Rousseff, was impeached over budget irregularities. Rousseff came from a centre-left background while Temer is more conservative.

Corruption is a huge issue in Brazil. State investigators have charged a third of Temer's cabinet, four former leaders of the country and now Temer himself. Over 90 politicians have been convicted on corruption charges. The issues have tended to include collusion and bribery between political figures and business leaders regarding huge state-run companies.

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Brazil suffers from extreme levels of inequality, with the huge wealth found in the nation's resources concentrated in a very small elite, while millions live in abject poverty. Temer's presidency has been marked by a succession of corruption allegations - on 9 June 2017, the Brazilian Super Court acquitted the president and his predecessor, Dilma Rousseff, of illegal campaign funding during the 2014 election.

Sources: Evening Standard, The Guardian

Featured Image Credit: PA

James Dawson

James Dawson is a Journalist at LADbible. He has contributed articles to LADbible’s ‘Knowing Me, Knowing EU’ series on the EU referendum, the 'Electoral Dysfunction' series on the 2017 general election, the ‘U OK M8?’ series tackling mental health amongst young men, and for its ‘Climate Change’ initiative in partnership with National Geographic.

@thejaytoday