Brazil Supreme Court justice sends charge against president to Congress

A Brazilian Supreme Court justice sent a corruption charge against President Michel Temer to Congress on Wednesday, advancing the process under which the centre-right leader could be removed from office to face trial for graft.

The justice, Edson Fachin, rejected an argument made by Brazil’s top federal prosecutor that the Supreme Court should hear preliminary arguments on the charge and its merits for 15 days, before deciding whether to send it to the lower house of Congress.

Under Brazilian law, it is now up to the House of Deputies to decide whether to allow the Supreme Court to try Temer, who replaced impeached leftist President Dilma Rousseff last year. Two-thirds of the lower house must vote against Temer for his trial to occur.

The president was charged this week with arranging to receive 38 million reais ($11.55 million) in bribes from executives at JBS SA, the world’s largest meat processor.

Temer branded the charge a “fiction” in a nationally televised address on Tuesday, even as he acknowledged that it could hurt the economy and hamper his government’s plans for far-reaching reforms to help lift Latin America’s biggest country out of a historic recession.

The Brazilian leader has repeatedly said he is innocent of any wrongdoing and has rejected calls from the opposition to resign.. He is caught up in a three-year anti-graft push by investigators that has revealed stunning levels of corruption in Latin America’s largest country.

The schemes involve businesses paying billions of dollars in bribes to politicians and executives at state-run companies in return for winning contracts and various political favours.

Temer, one-third of his cabinet, four past presidents and dozens of lawmakers are either on trial, facing charges or under investigation for corruption. Over 90 people have been found guilty so far.