A congressional panel cleared Brazil's president of involvement in a money-for-votes scandal Wednesday, saying he was not responsible for the wrongdoing of his political allies. Rep. Osmar Serraglio, who led a nine-month investigation that ensnared several ruling party officials, said President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva did not know about the alleged bribery of legislators and was not to blame.
"Responsibility cannot lie with the president simply for occupying the top of the power structure of the executive branch," said Serraglio, reading from the 2,000-page report. Serraglio said Silva did not get involved in day-to-day negotiations in Congress. "He has somebody in charge and he keeps at a distance," Serraglio said in a radio interview. "That means he doesn't necessarily know exactly what's going on."
Silva and his leftist Workers Party were stung last year when a former ally accused the party of financing campaigns illegally and paying lawmakers up to $13,730 a month to support their legislation in Congress. The scandal sent Silva's popularity plummeting and led Congress to expel three legislators. The panel's report was a relief for the government, still reeling from the loss of former Finance Minister Antonio Palocci on Monday.
Hailed as the architect of Brazil's economic recovery, Palocci resigned amid charges he violated bank secrecy laws and frequented a house in Brasilia where lobbyists threw parties with prostitutes and apparent bribe money arrived by the suitcase. Despite the scandals, Silva has seen his popularity rebound of late and he is expected to seek re-election in October. The congressional panel will vote next week on whether or not to send the report to the public prosecutor's office, which would decide whether to open an investigation.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060330/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/brazil_president_probe
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