The politicians voting to impeach Brazil's president are accused of more corruption than she is
The politicians voting to impeach Brazil's president are accused of more corruption than she is
Vincent Bevins
March 28, 2016, 3:04 PM |Reporting from Sao Paulo, Brazil
Efforts to impeach Brazil's president accelerated this month as the country fell into full-blown crisis. But the congressional commission that will help decide Dilma Rousseff's fate has its own legal problems.
Of 65 members on the impeachment commission, 37 face charges of corruption or other serious crimes, according to data prepared for the Los Angeles Times by the local organization Transparencia Brasil.
The commission does not represent just the congressional faction that wants Rousseff impeached, but contains members of both the ruling coalition and the opposition.
Of the 513 members of the lower house in Congress, 303 face charges or are being investigated for serious crimes. In the Senate, the same goes for 49 of 81 members.
Moreover, the data do not include any possible repercussions for the newest bombshell in the “Lava Jato,” or “Car Wash,” federal corruption probe. Brazil’s largest construction firm, Odebrecht, announced it would fully cooperate with investigation, and on March 23 the Brazilian Federal Police released a spreadsheet appearing to list payments from the company, whose CEO is currently jailed, to more than 200 politicians.
More:
http://www.latimes.com/world/mexico-americas/la-fg-brazil-impeach-20160328-story.html