By Cintia Garcia
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America
BRASILIA, Brazil—Impeached president Dilma Rousseff was found innocent of fiscal pedaling in an investigation conducted by government auditors in a 233 page report. Although she was found innocent of fiscal pedaling, the auditors did find that Dilma Rousseff signed three executive orders providing supplementary credit without the approval of Congress—a crime of fiscal responsibility.
The impeachment process against President Rousseff began when her administration was accused of making late payments from the treasury to the public banks, as well as hiding budget shortfalls. It is believed President Rousseff’s mishandling of the budget was part of an attempt to win re-election.
The impeachment proceedings against President Rousseff are also closely related to the Petrobras investigation. Petrobras is an oil company that many political appointees and those within the private sector have used for fiscal pedaling.
The dual findings of the report have been leveraged by Rousseff’s supporters and her critics. The report is not the final word on the subject, the verdict will be announced the day before the close of the Rio 2016 Olympics. If she is indeed impeached, interim President Michel Temer will replace her permanently.
Currently, Rousseff is raising money through a crowd-fund created by her supporters since her government funds have been frozen. She is using the funds to campaign through out the country against the illegitimacy of the impeachment. In one day she raised $155,000 from supporters. She claims her impeachment was a cover for a coup led by opponents. Her claims of a coup have gained momentum these past few weeks through the release of leaked tape recordings in which opposition leaders were heard discussing obstructions in the Petrobras investigation. And this latest report by the auditors continues to bolster her claims.
The unstable political climate and the Petrobas scandal have led to a failing economy putting Brazil on the brink of an economic disaster. The debt in Brazil may increase by 10% within the year and about 11 million nationals are unemployed.
For more information, please see:
Forbes—Latest Brazil Study on Impeachment Unlikely to Save Dilma—June 27, 2016
Telesur—Senate Report Clears Rousseff of Budget Manipulation—27 June 2016
Business-Standard—Rousseff Raises Funds to Fight Impeachment—1 July 2016
