Temer calls Padilha for an emergency meeting. Will he fire him or resign?
Michel Temer called an emergency meeting this Sunday with his right-hand man, Eliseu Padilha, Minister of the Civil House; both are accused of collecting bribes from Odebrecht; in addition, Padilha is accused of illegally seizing land belonging to the Navy, and all his assets are frozen; the question is: Will Temer fire Padilha, write a letter of resignation, or simply try to devise a survival strategy for a few more months? Officially, the meeting is to discuss economic issues, such as the reform that practically eliminates social security.
247 - Michel Temer called an emergency meeting this Sunday with his right-hand man, Eliseu Padilha, Minister of the Civil House.
The two are accused of collecting bribes from Odebrecht (read here).
Furthermore, Padilha is accused of illegally seizing land belonging to the Navy, and all of his assets have been frozen.
The question is: Will Temer fire Padilha, write a letter of resignation, or simply try to devise a survival strategy for a few more months?
Officially, the meeting is to discuss economic issues, such as the reform that practically eliminates social security.
Below is a news report from Agência Brasil:
Aline Leal - reporter for Agência Brasil
President Michel Temer will meet today (11) with the Chief of Staff, Eliseu Padilha, at the Jaburu Palace, in Brasília. The meeting, which was not on the agenda, was scheduled after the disclosure of the content of the testimony of the former director of Institutional Relations of Odebrecht, Cláudio Melo Filho, by the media. President Michel Temer returned from São Paulo to Brasília this afternoon.
The meeting was confirmed by Minister Padilha's press office, which could not specify whether other ministers and leaders of the government's base in Congress would also participate.
News outlets reported this weekend that Melo Filho's testimony allegedly cited President Temer, Padilha, former Planning Minister, Senator Romero Jucá, and former Secretary of Government Geddel Vieira Lima as recipients of bribes. All deny the accusations. According to the reports, a total of 51 politicians from 11 parties allegedly received bribes from Odebrecht.
The meeting also takes place in a period preceding important votes in Congress. Among them are Constitutional Amendment Proposal (PEC) 55, which establishes a ceiling on public spending and is under discussion in the Senate plenary; the pension reform (PEC 247), which was sent to Congress last week; and the approval of the 2017 budget. The expectation is that all these debates will advance in Congress before the parliamentary recess, which begins on December 23.
Leak
The Attorney General of the Republic, Rodrigo Janot, declared yesterday (10) that he will request the opening of an investigation to investigate the leak to the press of a confidential document relating to the plea bargain of Cláudio Melo Filho.
In a statement released last Friday (9), the Planalto Palace repudiated accusations that President Michel Temer had solicited illicit funds from the construction company Odebrecht during the 2014 presidential campaign. "President Michel Temer vehemently repudiates the false accusations made by Mr. Cláudio Melo Filho. The donations made by Construtora Odebrecht to the PMDB were all made by bank transfer and declared to the TSE [Superior Electoral Court]. There was no slush fund, nor any cash delivery at the president's request," the statement said.