Sixth member of Rousseff’s cabinet resigns amid corruption allegations

Monday, December 5th 2011 - 06:39 UTC

Full article 4 comments

The outgoing minister blamed “political and personal persecution”

Brazil’s Labor and Employment Minister Carlos Lupi resigned Sunday, the sixth Cabinet member to leave President Dilma Rousseff’s government since June amid corruption allegations.

Lupi denied any wrongdoing and said he was the victim of “political and personal persecution,” according to a statement published on the ministry’s website. He ran the ministry since 2007.

Before that and for several years he acted as the ‘best-paid’ advisor of the Lower House of Congress with hardly ever showing up, according to other claims made public in the Sao Paulo media.

“I leave with a clear conscience after fulfilling my duties,” the statement said.

Since June, Rousseff has lost her Cabinet chief and the ministers of transportation, agriculture, tourism and sports over allegations of corruption. All have denied wrongdoing.

The defense minister stepped down in August after criticizing other members of the government.

Veja magazine reported Nov. 5 that top Lupi aides allegedly took kickbacks from non-governmental organizations, or NGOs, that won ministry contracts. The magazine also reported that in 2009 Lupi flew to public functions in a private airplane rented by the head of an NGO that received 14 million Rreais (7.9 million dollars) from the ministry.

Lupi, 54, denied the allegations at the time, but offer no evidence to the contrary.

Categories: Politics, Brazil.

Tags: Brazil, Carlos Lupi, corruption, Dilma Rousseff.

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GeoffWard2
So, he got the bullet after all!
Dec 05th, 2011 - 05:20 pm 0
yankeeboy
Brazil will never be taken seriously until it gets this corruption under control. If this was a legitimate/serious country the President would have stepped down by now. Pretty disgraceful.
Dec 06th, 2011 - 12:24 am 0
Fido Dido
If this was a legitimate/serious country the President would have stepped down by now. Pretty disgraceful.

Get real mexican, I mean “yankeeboy”. If a minister/senetor or a clown that suppose to represent you is accused of “fraud”, he or she must or will be forced to step down, not the president. That doesn't happen in any country, and certainly not in Mexico with more corruption and it isn't been taken serious at all if you compare how the US takes Brazil 100 times more serious.
Dec 06th, 2011 - 01:43 am 0

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