He fell prisoner of a reckless former president | They stopped …

Page12 in Brazil
From Brasilia

Former President Michel Temer, who had taken over after participating in the conspiracy against Dilma Rousseff in 2016, was arrested in San Pablo for one of the ten corruption cases in which he is involved. The prison was ordered by Federal Judge Marcelo Pretas, considered the lieutenant in Rio de Janeiro of the Lava Jato case, whose mentor was the former magistrate and current Minister of Justice, Sergio Moro.

The politician of the Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB) was arrested for alleged collection of a bribe of one million reais ($ 260,000) paid by the Engevix company, who participated in the construction still unfinished nuclear power plant Angra III, in the interior of Rio.

Temer was arrested Thursday morning in San Pablo and transferred in the afternoon to Rio de Janeiro, where he was housed in the Superintendency of the Federal Police.

Shortly after the former Minister of Mines and Energy, Wellington Moreira Franco, also a member of the BMD and participating in the overthrow plan at Rousseff's Workers' Party (PT), was jailed. Another of the detainees is the former São Paulo police colonel, João Baptista Lima Filho, financial operator and Temer's confidant. The cacique "emedebista" is nicknamed "the traitor" by Rousseff, who does not mention it by his name and who, yesterday, avoided demonstrating about the case until the end of this chronicle.

There was a shudder in Brasilia, where the now imprisoned leader was controlling the sons of power for years sneaking. More than one legislator in office or retired can be found in reckless archives.

Because of its omnipresence or rather lack of scruple, Temer was a government representing different parties: before being vice of Dilma, he headed the Chamber of Deputies under the government of Fernando Henrique Cardoso of the Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB).

Good contacts in the judicial world (Temer was a prosecutor) have led some observers to think that he could avoid jail after losing his jurisdiction with the end of his term on December 31 of last year, date on which he badumed the former captain Jair. Bolsonaro Other columnists felt that the wealth of evidence against him was such that no judicial party would save him from prison.

In May 2017, a year after the start of his term, a recording in which Temer had been arrested while he was talking about illegal payments with tycoon Joesley Baptista, owner of JBS meat emporium. In addition, one of his lieutenants appeared in a video carrying a suitcase with money from a bribe. The trunk was imprisoned while his boss was still free rushing into the Plbadto.

During his tenure, Temer was twice denounced by the public prosecutor for corruption, with the approval of the court, but Congress overturned the proceedings. Yesterday, the federal public prosecutor's office in Rio accused him of having ordered an organization dedicated to rigging contracts, handling legislative projects and other irregularities over 40 years, after which he had received some 520 million illegal dollars.

The prison also caused a shock to the San Pablo Stock Exchange, which lost 2.4% at thirteen hours. For financial power, this scandal adds volatility to the vast pro-government camp that goes from Bolsonaro's far-right liberal social party (PSL) to the conservative MDB.

For the PT "it is clear that once the goals of the coup d'etat and the illegal ban for Lula to challenge the elections (of 2018) are met, his architects are dismissed". In May 2016, "Temer badumed the presidency after a deplorable state coup, his government program has increased inequality and misery," said a note published by the PT.

MP Ivan Valente of the Socialist Party and Freedom asked whether the prison was a "maneuver" for Lava Jato judges to correct a loss of credibility. He also pointed out that this incident happened by chance for Bolsonaro, which had lost 15 points of popularity in a poll released on Wednesday, placing it among the most unpopular rulers after two and a half months of leadership.

The columnists of the Globo channel insisted that this case shows that Lava Jato is "impartial" because it involves politicians from several parties. Not to mention that against Temer, the evidence is abundant, contrary to what happened in the sentence that ended in the prison of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The same journalists recommended that the former president not be released by the court during the session that will badyze his sentence next month.