Embattled Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is facing renewed pressure to resign, following the release of a secretly recorded phone conversation Wednesday that critics claim suggests she appointed her predecessor to a Cabinet post in an attempt to shield him from a corruption investigation.
Rousseff has denied the allegations, saying there is an innocent explanation for the conversation.
Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of major Brazilian cities Wednesday night demanding Rousseff’s resignation, at the end of a tumultuous day for her troubled administration.
The scandal engulfing Rousseff’s Workers’ Party has swept up Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, her predecessor as president and close political ally, who is under criminal investigation for alleged bribery and money laundering involving state-run oil company Petrobras — an operation known as “Car Wash.”
On Wednesday, Rousseff’s political opponents were outraged when Lula da Silva, widely known as Lula, accepted her offer to become chief of staff, shielding him from all but the country’s Supreme Federal Tribunal and effectively delaying any prosecution.
Judge releases tapes
Public anger was only fueled when, in the wake of the appointment, the uncompromising federal judge overseeing the “Car Wash” investigation released secretly recorded conversations between the pair, which he said showed they were apparently trying to influence or gain assistance from courts and prosecutors in Lula’s favor.
In one exchange, relating to Lula signing the “term of office” paperwork necessary to assume the post, Rousseff says, “We’ll only use it in case of emergency.”
Critics said that showed Lula’s appointment had been motivated by a desire to protect him from prosecution, giving him a trump card against investigation.
Rousseff’s Cabinet responded by releasing a copy of the document under discussion in the call — the certificate that Lula would be required to sign to assume the role — and her office said the phrase in question simply referred to the eventuality that it would be used if he did not attend the swearing-in ceremony in person.
Lula is set to be sworn in Thursday morning in Brazil’s capital, Brasilia.
Rousseff praises Lula
At a news conference Wednesday, Rousseff praised the two-time president for stepping up to the plate to help her administration, which is struggling in the face of a lengthy recession and low presidential approval ratings.
“He comes with his knowledge of the country, of the needs of the country and his commitment. … It is going to be a huge boost for my government,” she said.
In a dispatch accompanying his release of the nearly 50 audio recordings, Judge Sergio Moro noted that it appeared that Lula “already knew, or at least suspected, that he was being recorded by the Federal Police, compromising the spontaneity and credibility of several of the dialogues.”
Nearly two weeks ago, federal police raided Lula da Silva’s home and took him in for questioning on suspicion he benefited from a bribery and money laundering scheme.
Separately, state prosecutors in Sao Paulo charged him with money laundering and requested preventive detention.
Impeachment proceedings against Rousseff have already been opened in Congress over alleged attempts to hide budget shortfalls before the 2014 elections.