Friday, March 4, 2016

Lula to the police, the twilight of an idol? – Release

His political opponents waiting for this moment. That’s it, the Operation Lava Jato ( “the great cleansing”), the investigation into the sprawling corruption scandal in Petrobras (oil company controlled by the Brazilian State) hit at the door of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Scandal including former President of Brazil (2003-2011) and historical leader of the Workers Party (PT), in power for thirteen years, would be one of the beneficiaries, according to the prosecution.

Friday, federal police arrived at dawn at his home in the suburbs of São Paulo, to search his home and drive their premises to hear about supposed to “undue benefits” he would have received from BTP groups involved in the case of “Petrolão.” Lula emerged free three hours later, and joined the party headquarters where waiting for a crisis meeting.

“Why have you taken such” coercive “when he does not refuse to cooperate with justice?” is outraged the one of his supporters, the lawyer Adriano Pilatti. To avoid demonstrations if the date and place of the hearing had been known in advance, justified investigators. To “destabilize the government criminalize PT and fight the main leader of the Brazilian people” , for its part accuses the ruling party, to which the police and court structures would be acquired at the Right Opposition .

Three. as an “benefits” , investigators link the work undertaken in a country house attended by Lula and his family as well as the development, the taste of the former president and his wife, a triplex whose owner denies any couple. The work would have been paid by companies accused of overcharged their contracts with Petrobras to finance the campaigns of PT and two formations of his coalition. Prosecutors say they found “ elements ” according to which the former president would have received money from the Petrolão. They particularly mention the 30 million reais (7.3 million) and the LILS Lula Institute, the company that manages the activities of the former head of state, would have received the same groups of construction between 2011 and 2014. Officially, it was donations to the institute, or to pay the lectures by Lula at their request. The investigation seeks to determine whether there has been exchange of favors.

The temperature was already rising the previous day with the revelations attributed to Senator PT Delcídio Amaral. Implicated in Lava Jato, man, former majority leader in the Senate, accusing Lula, as the current president, Dilma Rousseff, of attempting to obstruct justice. It was not so long ago, in 2010, the former president left the haloed power of glory, with over 80% support. He managed even to get elected to succeed him his protégée, Dilma Rousseff, re-elected for a second term in 2014. Brazil then goes off to the example of an emerging country.

During his first term , Rousseff has managed to maintain the redistributive growth model of Lula. But Brazil has slipped into recession (-3.8% in 2015). Unemployment and inflation soaring. Suddenly, Brazilians are less tolerant of corruption that seems to have exceeded all limits. Tongues are loosened, the Lula myth is cracking. The “father of the poor” is no longer untouchable. An investigation that the credits of 20% of the vote, behind the leading opposition, if he would stand in the 2018 presidential election a hypothesis that does not rule.

Resilience. the line, however, does not take full advantage of the disgraced leader of the left. In Brazil, no politicians, except perhaps the environmentalist leader, Marina Silva, is spared the embezzlement charges. No one dares declare political death of the greatest leader of Brazil. “Burying his chances would be a mistake” , recently warned an editorial, recalling the extraordinary resilience of the former union leader, defeated three times before being elected to lead the country in 2002. four years later, he clinched a second term despite the first big scandal in which had soaked his party, the mensalão (vote buying and illegal funding).

But today ‘ hui, the matter seems more serious threat and the way to bring Dilma Rousseff. Lula’s trouble, his political mentor, with justice, as alleged Delcídio Amaral, reinforce the right, which will travel on March 13 to demand the resignation of the President. They are also likely to revive the impeachment process aimed Dilma Rousseff

Chantal Rayes

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