Brazil Corruption Scandal: Dilma Rousseff Broke the Law, Auditors Say
Brazil’s Federal Accounts Court1 ruled that President Dilma Rousseff broke the law last year while attempting to manage her nation’s budget.
As the BBC reports, the 67-year-old Brazilian leader is accused of illegally borrowing money from state banks to pad budgetary shortfalls.
Augusto Nardes, the minister who handled the case, said the government disregarded fiscal and constitutional principles in the handling of the 2014 accounts, adding that Rousseff's administration raised spending "without fiscal sustainability and without the required transparency."
According to the court, Rousseff’s economic irregularities amount to over $26 billion.
Regarding Wednesday’s ruling, the Brazilian government said it plans to challenge the decision in the Supreme Court. If the decision is upheld, the government's accounts will go on to Congress for an assessment. Attorney General Luis Adams remarked upon the auditor’s finding, saying, "The game is not over."
After a year of much economic stress, largely due to the Petrobras kickback scandal, the Brazilian economy has gone into recession and is expected to shrink by 3 percent this year.
The nation was shocked and infuriated over the state-owned oil company scandal, which led to 117 indictments and criminal cases being brought against 13 companies.
As quoted in the New York Times, Maurício Santoro, a political science professor at Rio de Janeiro State University, said he had never seen his countrymen so angry, adding, “We have this sense that the dream is over.”
Brazil’s opposition leaders have seized the opportunity to call for Rousseff’s impeachment. As quoted in the Guardian, Carlos Sampaio, the leader of the opposition PSDB party, said the recent ruling established that the government “doctored fiscal accounts.” As this is an administrative crime, Sampaio said, “President Rousseff should face an impeachment vote.”
More fatalistically, Rubens Bueno, a congressman from the PPS party, said that the ruling meant the “end for the Rousseff government.”
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