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Brazil's ex attorney general claims he was fired for trying to deepen Petrobras corruption case

Sunday, September 11th 2016 - 16:40 UTC
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“The government wants to smother the Car Wash probe. It is very worried,” Medina Osorio was quoted as saying by Veja. “The government wants to smother the Car Wash probe. It is very worried,” Medina Osorio was quoted as saying by Veja.
Last Friday Medina Osorio was replaced by Grace Maria Mendonça. The AG office said it remains committed to its constitutional mission against corruption. Last Friday Medina Osorio was replaced by Grace Maria Mendonça. The AG office said it remains committed to its constitutional mission against corruption.
The ex attorney general claims he was instructed by the Presidency minister, Eliseu Padihla to not get involved in the Lava Jato Petrobras investigations. The ex attorney general claims he was instructed by the Presidency minister, Eliseu Padihla to not get involved in the Lava Jato Petrobras investigations.
President Temer has been forced to replace several ministers for their alleged involvement in the Petrobras investigations President Temer has been forced to replace several ministers for their alleged involvement in the Petrobras investigations

Brazil's new government is trying to stifle a corruption investigation targeting politicians and major parties, the former attorney general said in a magazine interview a day after being replaced by President Michel Temer. The former official, Fabio Medina Osorio, told weekly magazine Veja that he was fired because he tried to deepen the so-called “Car Wash” corruption probe into the country's oil company Petrobras.

 Three ministers of Temer's cabinet have already resigned since he took office in May after being linked to the probe.

“The government wants to smother the Car Wash probe. It is very worried,” Osorio was quoted as saying by Veja.

Temer has previously said that his government would not obstruct any corruption investigations.

Osorio was replaced by Grace Maria Mendonça. In a statement, the office of the attorney general said it remains committed to its constitutional mission against corruption.

“Operation Carwash”, which was named for its beginnings as a money-laundering probe, has ensnared dozens of top politicians and jailed chief executives from Brazil's biggest construction firms for paying billions in bribes for bloated contracts, skimmed from the country's one time largest company and pride of Brazilians for making the country oil self sufficient, Petrobras.

In another interview with the O Globo media group, Medina Osorio claimed he received instructions from the Presidency minister Eliseu Padilha “to not get involved in the Lava Jato investigations and keep away from the issue”. However the Attorney General did not comply and last Thursday he had a serious confrontation with Padilha which ended when he was told he “was fired”.

Medina Osorio also claims that his now successor Ms Fernandez Mendonca was also part of the conspiration to have him ousted.

Last Friday the event was watered down when President Temer named the first woman to his cabinet, after causing outcry by forming the first all-male, all-white government since the country's 1964-1985 dictatorship.

Temer announced lawyer Grace Maria Fernandes Mendonca as his new attorney general, replacing Fabio Medina Osorio.

Temer was sworn in as president on August 31 when Rousseff was convicted in the Senate, and will serve out the rest of her term to the end of 2018. Temer stoked controversy with his cabinet picks, naming a team consisting of white men in a country known for its diversity.

He also caused outcry by eliminating the culture ministry -- a decision he has since reversed -- and naming several ministers implicated in corruption scandals, three of whom have been forced to resign.

Top Comments

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  • Enrique Massot

    Here's the true nature of the soft coup against Dilma Rousseff beginning to appear.
    Rousseff was never accused of stealing money, which cannot be said of many of the legislators to voted to oust her.
    It may very well be that Rousseff was an obstacle to those wanting to milk the country to death for their exclusive benefit.

    Sep 11th, 2016 - 05:03 pm 0
  • Brasileiro

    Yes!

    Sep 11th, 2016 - 06:11 pm 0
  • Kanye

    Mr Massot

    “It may very well be that Rousseff was an obstacle to those wanting to milk the country to death for their exclusive benefiT”

    Says who?

    It is at least, just as likely that's not true.

    Do you have a link?

    Man!! T Hill should be all over this, but he won't be. Very telling.

    Dilma was President. She was unauthorised to secretly manipulate finances to deceive the voters and ensure her re-election.

    Did the “other legislators” do this?

    Do you have a link for that?

    Hearsay or complete fabrication from the hinterland.

    Sep 11th, 2016 - 11:46 pm 0
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