BRAZIL: Temer Says Criminal Charge Against Him Part Of A Cover-up

(RTTNews) - Brazilian Presidency refuted the criminal charge against Michel Temer and said that the accusations from the attorney-general Rodrigo Janot towards the president are an attempt to 'cover up' the need for urgent investigation of members of his team.

The Planalto Palace claims that the complaint against Temer is "full of absurdities" and that Janot "by incompetence or negligence, puts at risk the concept of the plea-bargain deal." The government further states that "by accepting false and lying testimony, Janot instituted the fake-bargain deal."

The attorney-general accuses Temer of leading a criminal organization that received at least R$ 587 million (US$ 187 million) in graft payments. It is the second criminal charge against the Brazilian president in less than three months.

According to the complaint, the group allegedly committed crimes in exchange for bribes through several public bodies, including Petrobras, Furnas (Eletrobras' subsidiary), Caixa Econômica, Ministry of National Integration and the House of Representatives itself.