Brazil: Temer pledges to oust ministers charged under Operation Car Wash

In a statement made today (Feb. 13), President Michel Temer said that ministers facing charges under Operation Car Wash will be ousted from their posts regardless of the ultimate verdict. If cabinet face only accusations, their term will be temporarily suspended.

“If there's an accusation, i.e., evidence that may subsequently be accepted, the minister accused under Operation Car Wash will be temporarily ousted. Then, if the accusation is approved, the minister becomes a defendant in the operation, and their ouster becomes permanent,” Temer declared.

“I make this statement in order to say that the government does not want to and will not shield anyone. Simply put, [the government] must not deem a mere mention—which might lead to the opening of an inquiry, which in turn might lead to an accusation, and later initiate a case—as grounds to definitively incriminate and remove a minister,” the president explained.

Strike

Temer went on to say that the Office of the Chief of Staff is in the process of finishing the draft of a bill on the right to strike for services regarded as essential, on federal, state, and municipal levels.

“You know that certain essential services cannot be brought to a halt. Despite the large number of bills under deliberation in Congress, we're bringing forward another one for examination. We all know that the Supreme Court has often enough expressed an opinion on the topic, mentioning the omission, the non-materialization and non-approval of a disciplinary bill in the Constitution,” the president said.

Temer stressed that the case bears no connection with the latest incidents in the state of Espírito Santo, where the military police staged stoppages as the wives and family of officers blocked their work on the streets. The president explained that the military police are not allowed to strike or unionize, according to the constitution.

“Therefore, what happened there in connection with a movement spearheaded by those ladies was an insurgency against the text of the Constitution. If other episodes are seen to take place, the constitution will apply,” Temer stated.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira