MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lula da Silva’s hand picked candidate involved in the Sarney scandal

Ms Rousseff allegedly had the Sarney files from the revenue office, shelved.

Brazilian president Lula da Silva’s closest aide has been accused of involvement in helping Senator Jose Sarney and his family slip off serious corruption charges, a major scandal that has shocked Brazilian public opinion.

Allegedly according to members from the opposition, cabinet chief Dilma Rousseff pressed the Brazilian Revenue Office in favour of the Sarney family, particularly his son Fernando Sarney, an influential businessman who owns an affiliate of the Globo television network and is also Vice-president of Brazil’s football confederation.

Sarney Sr who is president of the Upper House faced a battery of charges ranging from nepotism and corruption to influence peddling and misuse of funds, but the case was finally shelved by the Senate Ethics Council headed by one of his close ally from the same party.

Fernando Sarney has been indicted for money laundering and corruption.

According to the opposition Ms Rousseff recommended the former head of the Revenue office to shelve the investigation on Fernando Sarney

O Estado de Sao Paulo quotes several congressional members of the opposition describing Ms Rousseff lobbying in favour of the Sarney family as “extremely serious”.

The situation is also particularly damaging for President Lula da Silva’s political plans for next year when presidential elections are scheduled.

Lula da Silva is working on an alliance between his Workers Party and Sarney’s PMDB (Brazilian Democratic Movement Party) which would support Ms Rousseff as his hand picked candidate for president in October 2010.

Furthermore Lula da Silva has instructed ministers and Workers Party congress members to support Senate president Sarney in spite of the fact his ousting has been repeatedly demanded by all parties from the opposition, and according to polls by public opinion.

The Rousseff case opens a new front in the Senate for Lula da Silva’s coalition and 2010 plans.

The most serious opposition presidential candidate, Sao Paulo governor Jose Serra, from the Social Democrats, who lost to Lula da Silva in 2002, is comfortably leading in the polls.