Brazilian President refuses to appear in court on corruption charges

On September 21, Brazilian President Michel Temer protested the Supreme Court's decision to put him on trial in Congress regarding corruption allegations in the scandal of the national oil company Petrobras.

Brazilian President Michel Temer speaks in Sao Paulo, Brazil on August 16. (Source: AFP/TTXVN)

According to a VNA reporter in South America, speaking to the press while attending a meeting at the United Nations General Assembly, President Temer affirmed that the basis the Supreme Court relied on to convict him was "completely fabricated" and did not cause him to worry.

President Temer also reassured investors by emphasizing that the fight against corruption is being vigorously implemented in Brazil.

President Temer's reaction came a day after the Supreme Court voted to put him on trial in a congressional trial for forming an illegal gang.

The Supreme Court's decision was based on allegations made by the Brazilian Prosecutor's Office last week that incumbent President Temer participated in a bribery ring worth up to $175 million in exchange for facilitating Caixa Económica's signing of a contract with Petrobras.

This is the second time the Supreme Court has sent charges against Mr. Temer to Congress so that the body can consider whether to put the head of state on trial.

In the first, the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly in favor of Mr. Temer to overturn the Supreme Court's decision.

According to the investigation results of the Brazilian Federal Police, President Temer and his allies maintained “an organization for illegal profit.”

Police concluded that the group, which included Mr. Temer, had committed a number of crimes including corruption, bribery, money laundering, fraud in the bidding process for public projects and embezzlement of funds.

On the same day, the Brazilian Supreme Court forwarded to the House of Representatives the decision passed on September 20 regarding Mr. Temer.

The House of Representatives is expected to vote on whether to put incumbent President Temer on trial in a criminal court for embezzlement.

If two-thirds of the lower house approves the charges, Mr Temer will be tried in a criminal court or the Senate, as required by law.

Meanwhile, the Brazilian Transport Federation also published survey results showing that only 3.4% of people support President Temer and up to 75.6% said the current government is performing "poorly," despite indicators showing that Latin America's number one economy has shown signs of recovery after two consecutive years of recession.

Most respondents said that the situation of employment, health care and education has not improved. 45.7% of survey participants expressed pessimism about the country's prospects.

Regarding the candidates who may participate in the 2018 presidential election, former President Lula da Silva is still in first place with 20.2% support, followed by far-right candidate, Congressman Jair Bolsonaro with 10.9%./.

According to Viet Nam +