Mixed reactions among deputies as house speaker gets charged
The news of Prosecutor-General Rodrigo Janot pressing charges against Eduardo Cunha, President of the Chamber of Deputies, to begin bribery and money laundering investigations in the Supreme Court was met with mixed reactions in Congress. Some deputies came out to defend him while others wrote a manifesto calling for Cunha's removal from the house presidency.
Deputies from several parties signed the letter, saying that the charges against Cunha are very serious and “make his continuance as house speaker untenable.” The deputies say removing Cunha from the presidency of the Chamber of Deputies would be the right step to take to avoid further damage to the Parliament's reputation.
In another excerpt, the deputies said “it takes sense, ethical conduct, and integrity to preside over the Chamber of Deputies. His responsibilities as the head of one of the houses of the Legislature are in conflict with his status of having been charged. To defend our Parliament, we call for the immediate removal of Eduardo Cunha from his duties as house speaker.”
Eduardo Cunha, President of the Chamber of Deputies
Eduardo Cunha's fellow PMDB party at the Chamber of Deputies issued a statement saying that they “ and trust the House Speaker Eduardo Cunha and express our solidarity to him while some of our colleagues are too eager to uphold theories that hurt a key principle of the Democratic Rule of Law.” The party argued that “no one will be convicted but only charged until all due process steps are exhausted. The presumption of innocence is an entrenched principle of our Constitution, which we have vowed to uphold.”
Carlos Sampaio, PSDB party leader at the lower house, said all judgment should be reserved until the case has fully developed. “We have always advocated making thorough investigations and using plea bargain deals no matter who is involved. Now it's his turn to present his defense, and the Supreme Court will decide whether or not to uphold the charges. We must wait and see how the case will unfold,” the leader said.
Translated by Mayra Borges
Fonte: Mixed reactions among deputies as house speaker gets charged
