A new corruption scandal was engulfing the fledgling
government of Brazil’s president, Michel Temer, on Friday after a former
minister in his cabinet accused him of exerting pressure to assist a top
political ally in a property deal.
As Brazil’s
political class reels from a period of extraordinary turmoil, the latest
scandal is shaping into the most acute crisis facing Mr. Temer, 75, since he rose
to power six months ago after the impeachment of his predecessor, Dilma
Rousseff.
The former
minister, Marcelo Calero, who was in charge of culture, told federal
investigators that Mr. Temer had pressured him to overrule a heritage
preservation measure halting the construction of a luxury tower in the
northeastern city of Salvador, where the ally of Mr. Temer, Geddel Vieira Lima,
who holds the title of government secretary, had invested in an apartment.
Leading
opposition figures in the capital, Brasília, said on Thursday night that they
would seek the impeachment of Mr. Temer over the claims. Mr. Temer’s office
acknowledged in a statement that he had discussed the matter on two occasions
with Mr. Calero, but insisted that the president had merely sought “technical”
solutions to the problem.
Reports that
Mr. Calero had secretly recorded his discussions with Mr. Temer shook the
political establishment, opening the possibility that the Supreme Court could
begin an investigation into the matter. Mr. Temer was already on the defensive
over claims by Ms. Rousseff that her ouster was an illegal usurpation of power.
“If the recording shows that the president acted for the
private interests of a minister against the public heritage, then the Temer
presidency is over,”
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