MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Brazilian Sports minister resigns: fifth to be forced out over corruption allegations
Orlando Silva belonged to the Brazilian Communist party and had been in the job since the time of former president Lula da Silva (Photo AFP) Brazil's sports minister resigned on Wednesday over a corruption scandal, the country's GloboNews television station said, reviving concern over President Dilma Rousseff's unstable ruling coalition and the country's lagging preparations for the 2014 World Cup.
Orlando Silva is the sixth minister to step down this year and the fifth to be forced out over ethics breaches that have become a major headache for Rousseff in her first year in office, though the resignations have bolstered her reputation as a no-nonsense manager who is tough on corruption.
Silva had strenuously denied a stream of allegations against him in the media, including that he arranged up to 40 million Reais (23 million dollars) in kickbacks from government contracts to benefit himself and the Communist Party of Brazil, which is part of Rousseff's government.
Only last Friday, Rousseff said she was backing Silva to continue in his post after hearing his explanations in a meeting at the presidential palace.
But a minister with direct knowledge of the situation told Reuters on Wednesday that Rousseff had now withdrawn her support. Another source close to Rousseff said Silva's position had become untenable following the Supreme Court's decision this week to open an investigation into allegations of corruption at the sports ministry.
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Read all commentsSuch bald-faced insolence from this communist.
Oct 27th, 2011 - 12:55 pm 0It needed a Supreme Court decision to investigate the man and the Party to cause him to resign.
If it went to court the Communist Party of Brasil would be hauled into the public spotlight, have its present corruption and history of corruption exposed, and shown up for the corrupt party it is. No Party would be able to be associated with it in future coalitions, and it would be cast into the cold of Brasilian politics.
His Party threw him to the wolves in order that The Communist Party could continue to exist and so that its corrupt nature should never be exposed to the Brasilian public.
Geoff, according to the dutch language online news about brazil is that the communist party indeed threw him out to save themself, but even if their reputation is damaged, they will be there because not all (who are in that group) are guilty of corruption (or not yet, we have to see). It's the same for the other parties in brazil and In my opinion, this is the first leader who doesn't have patience with it. Dilma is like Rumors, okay, Rumors are growing and growing in weeks, you're out. If you're innocent, no problem, guilty, you're going to jail. Happened to already one and the rest is comming if they are proven guilty. now that is remarkable in Brazil where there is a reputation where elites or elites wannabe rarely went to jail.
Oct 27th, 2011 - 02:59 pm 0I know about Dantas is fresh in your mind, but guess what, they (the government) have and could not proof that he was/is guilty. they tried, tried and tried, but failed. they knew something was wrong, but just could not go by that to put him in jail. that's the problem with you're innocent until proven guilty, but it's a must to go like that to be 99% fair and have a 99% fair trail. Showes nothing is 100% perfect.
I'm not partisan here in the US, nor I was never in Holland, and think the same of the Brazilian politics that I follow since and read/studied about it since 1998, Dilma shows without being biased that she is against corruption..simple. and that's why she's winning with the public who are “slowly” awaken after so many years of tolerance of corruption.
Thanks,
Oct 27th, 2011 - 04:02 pm 0my opinion is just that - opinion.
It will be interesting to see who PT prefers for the next presidential candidate - Dilma or Lula.
So much to play for. . . . it´s like
black v white,
right v wrong ,
. . . . what will the people want v what will the politicians want?
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