Temer Caught Red-Handed

Tapes of bribery and corruption have been leaked against Michel Temer, Brazil’s president. Michel Temer, the acting president of Brazil took over the presidency of the country, after the impeachment of elected President Dilma Rousseff in August 2016. Protests have been going on across Brazil ever since Michel Temer was permanently installed as president.

Temer came with the promises of “new era”, while the opposition had been claiming that Temer was involved in far more corruption, controversy, instability, and shame than his predecessor. The claims of the opposition turn out to be true after the proof found against Temer, after the recent leaks from ongoing corruption investigations. Explosive tapes of Temer’s discussions about hush-money payments to jailed powerbroker Eduardo Cunha have been found. Eduardo Cunha, the former speaker of the House had been jailed for his role in the Petrobras corruption scandal.

Cunha and Temer are members of the ruling Brazilian Democratic Movement party. Cunha helped initiate the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, a move which allowed Temer to take over as the president. The tapes show Temer offering bribe to Cunha to keep his mouth shut about the dirt he knows about his former colleagues. 

The tapes were presented to prosecutors as part of a plea bargain by Joesley and Wesley Batista, brothers who run Brazil’s largest meat-packing firm JBS. According to O Globo newspaper, the police also has audio and video evidence that Temer’s aide Rocha Loures negotiated bribes worth 500,000 reais (US$160,000) a week for 20 years in return for helping JBS overcome a problem with the fair-trade office.

While the supreme court has refused to comment of the validity of the allegations, the people of Brazil are outraged. Hordes of people took to the streets shouting slagans against Temer. Angry crowds and members of Brazil’s congress have demanded the impeachment of Temer. Crowds gathered outside the Presidential residence, chanting “Fora Temer” (Temer out).