Brazil ports bribery probe ensnares president's friends

[Judi Lynn]

MARCH 29, 2018 / 6:23 AM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO

 
Pedro Fonseca

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Police arrested two close friends of Brazilian President Michel Temer on Thursday in an investigation into alleged corruption involving a decree regulating the country’s ports, their lawyers told Reuters.

Temer has denied any wrongdoing in the case in which prosecutors suspect bribes were paid in exchange for the extension of concessions in the port of Santos, Latin America’s busiest.

But the scandal could complicate Temer’s plans to run in the October presidential election. A Supreme Court judge lifted the secrecy on his bank accounts last month, bringing the investigation closer to home.

Police arrested José Yunes, a longtime aide to Temer who worked in the president’s office until December 2016, and Joao Batista Lima, a retired military police colonel associated with Temer since he was public security chief for Sao Paulo state three decades ago.

More:
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-brazil-corruption/brazil-ports-bribery-probe-ensnares-presidents-friends-idUKKBN1H51HV?rpc=401&

[Judi Lynn]

1. Brazil police arrest President Michel Temer's ally in graft probe

7 hours ago

Police in Brazil have arrested lawyer José Yunes, who is a close friend and ex-advisor to President Michel Temer.

Mr Yunes was detained over corruption allegations surrounding the awarding of concessions at Brazil's busiest container port, which he denies.

President Temer himself is under investigation for allegedly issuing a decree which benefited a logistics firm in the port in exchange for bribes.

. . .

Among those arrested is another close friend of President Temer, João Batista Lima, former agriculture minister Wagner Rossi - who resigned in 2011 over corruption allegations - as well as the head of the logistics firm which allegedly benefitted from President Temer's decree.

More:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-43581998