In the past year, new president has seen six of her 32 ministers quit over corruption allegations
BOGOTA (TrustLaw) - Since taking power nearly a year ago, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has seen six of her 32 ministers quit over corruption allegations.
A string of ethics scandals and the alleged embezzlement of state funds involving high-ranking government officials have dominated local headlines over the past year.
Rousseff, Brazil's first female president, has taken a tough line on corruption, and her bid to clean up her administration has been welcomed by many Brazilians, especially the country’s growing middle classes and taxpayers, who are demanding a more transparent and accountable government.
While Rousseff’s anti-corruption drive has earned her high approval ratings - around 70 percent - it has strained relations with the governing coalition, which is made up of more than a dozen parties.
Analysts say the scandal-ridden coalition government could nonetheless weaken Rousseff, as she struggles to rally congressional support and unify a disparate coalition while trying to dampen rising inflation and pass an ambitious programme of social legislation and infrastructure spending.
Here’s a timeline of Brazilian ministers stepping down over graft scandals in the past six months:
June 7 – Chief of staff and top presidential aide, Antonio Palocci, quits over allegations of influence peddling and illegally amassing wealth. Palocci ran a political consultancy firm while serving as a congressman. His personal wealth had increased 20-fold in recent years, according to Brazil’s Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper. He said the accusations were “baseless”.
July 7 – Transport minister, Alfredo Nascimento, leaves his post after questions raised by President Rousseff and Veja news magazine involving allegations of bribery and over-billing for highway and rail projects at the ministry. Colleagues are also accused of taking kickbacks from engineering and construction companies, including infrastructure projects for the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games in 2016. The minister denies any wrongdoing.
August 17 - Agriculture minister, Wagner Rossi, resigns amid reports in the local press that top aides in his ministry were accepting kickbacks from agricultural firms. He denies the accusations.
September 14 – Tourism minister, Pedro Novais, steps down over allegations in the local media that he misused public funds to employ a maid and a chauffeur for his wife while he was congressman from 2003 to 2010. He denies wrongdoing.
October 26 - Sports minister, Orlando Silva, is forced to quit amid press allegations that he received up to $23 million in kickbacks from non-governmental groups chosen to work on sporting events for the benefit of himself and Brazil’s Communist Party, which is part of Rousseff's coalition government.
December 5 – Labour minister, Carlos Lupi, resigns over allegations in the local press that he and several aides demanded kickbacks from charities and NGOs as a condition of receiving funding from the ministry. He has also been accused of receiving two government salaries at the same time, which is illegal in Brazil. Lupi says he is innocent.
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