In an editorial, Frias calls for Eduardo Cunha's head.

247 – In an editorial in 'Folha de S. Paulo' this Friday, Otavio Frias reacts to the Attorney General's accusation calling for the removal of Eduardo Cunha (PMDB):
'If the full Supreme Court judges that there is sufficient evidence to accept the charges, thus initiating criminal proceedings, Eduardo Cunha will need to step down as Speaker of the House. It is hoped that he and his colleagues will be aware of this,' he says.

Read the full text below:

Cunha's conscience

The Speaker of the House intends to remain in office even with charges filed against him in the Supreme Court; if he becomes a defendant, the situation will be untenable.

Ten years ago, and for far less, the then-Speaker of the House of Representatives, Severino Cavalcanti (PP-PE), resigned from his leadership position and his parliamentary mandate. He was accused of demanding a "monthly bribe" from the owner of a restaurant in Congress – R$10 in the currency of the time.

Eduardo Cunha (PMDB-RJ) is certainly not Severino. In terms of political stature and ability to negotiate, it would even be unfair to compare the PMDB member with the PP member.

But it would also be unfair to the folkloric "king of the lower clergy" to equate the 2005 scams with the schemes that, according to the Attorney General's Office, involve the belligerent congressman from Rio de Janeiro.

According to the testimony of lobbyist Julio Camargo, given as part of a plea bargain agreement, Cunha demanded US$5 million to facilitate business deals between the South Korean company Samsung Heavy Industries and Petrobras.

The congressman denies having received bribes, but the Attorney General's Office has taken the case forward. This Thursday (20), Rodrigo Janot presented to the Supreme Federal Court his complaint (formal accusation) against Cunha, describing in the document the crimes of corruption and money laundering.

Although former President and current Senator Fernando Collor (PTB-AL) is also a target of the initiative, all eyes are on the PMDB member. Will he lose allies? Will the pressure on the federal government increase?

Questions of this nature arise when someone like Cunha is at the helm of the Chamber of Deputies. After all, the Speaker of the House has the power not only to set the legislative agenda but also to proceed with impeachment requests.

While such questions remain unanswered, the congressman from Rio de Janeiro addressed another emerging doubt: he does not intend to give up his mandate or resign from the position he currently holds.

Without a court order to the contrary – nor has such a request even been made – Cunha can make the decision he deems most politically appropriate. Unlike Severino Cavalcanti, the PMDB member has not ceased to have influence over most of his colleagues.

The situation will be different, however, if the full Supreme Court judges that there is sufficient evidence to accept the charges, thus initiating the criminal proceedings.

In this scenario, to avoid his actions always being subject to double interpretation and to prevent the image of the Chamber of Deputies from being confused with that of a figure in the dock, Eduardo Cunha will need to step down from his leadership position. It is hoped that he and his colleagues will be aware of this.