Brasilia, June 27 (RHC-teleSUR)-- Brazil's Attorney General Rodrigo Janot has formally accused President Michel Temer and his aide Rodrigo Rocha Loures of corruption, charging them with receiving bribes from meatpacking giant JBS, according to O Globo.
Janot sent the request for charges, with additional documents to follow, to the country's Supreme Court, which will then send them to the lower chamber of Congress.
By law, criminal charges against a sitting president have to be approved by two-thirds of the lower house and only then can the Supreme Court issue a conviction. If approved by the lower house, Temer could be suspended for 90 days while awaiting impeachment proceedings.
In that possible scenario, current House Speaker Rodrigo Maia would assume the presidency. According to a poll by Estadao, Temer might not have the support of lawmakers to block the process.
Temer faces several accusations of corruption and spying, and according to Reuters, Janot will consider treating each investigation separately instead of presenting them all together, a move that could weaken his defense strategy.
Last week, Brazilian federal police handed over their investigation to the court alleging that Temer accepted bribes in exchange for political favors from JBS. Police have also confirmed the authenticity of the recordings, which Temer insists have been tampered with.
Temer also denied other allegations, a report in a national magazine claiming that the country's secret security service, known as Abin, spied on the judge in charge of the same corruption probe.
Brazil's Prosecutor-General Formally Accuses President Temer of Corruption
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