Brazil: Lula at the centre of a political storm

[rooster59]

Brazil: Lula at the centre of a political storm



Lula is the man who has been shaping Brazil since 2003 and who established the Workers Party at the top of the country’s politics.

The charismatic former president is now at the heart of a crisis which has divided his country.

Six years after leaving office prosecutors filed charges against Lula last week accusing him of money laundering and fraud, which he has denied. It is a sweeping graft probe centred on state-run oil company Petrobas and is alleged the Workers’ Party used kick backs from the scheme to fund their campaigns.

The icon of Brazil’s left is widely referred to as the mentor of President Dilma Rousseff. Despite being named in two judicial investigations and after he was detained briefly before being released the president travelled to his home.

Then just a few days later the president brought him back into government to serve as her chief of staff a position of power. As such it gives him immunity from the threat of custody by the federal judge Sergio Moro who is leading the investigation into the Petrobas scandal. In Brazil cabinet ministers can only be investigated by the Supreme court. He was inaugurated in a heated atmosphere.

The day before his swearing in Judge Sergio Moro released a telephone conversation between Rousseff and Lula which suggested she brought him back into her cabinet so he could avoid arrest.

That added oil to the fire of discontent which has spread throughout the country and has given impetus to those who want President Rousseff out.

The same night lawmakers initiated the procedure of impeachment against the president.

Since December the opposition has been trying to force the impeachment with accusations against the president that she broke budget rules to boost spending as she campaigned for re-election in 2014. A move it is alleged to help mask the growing economic crisis in the country. Those accusations are unrelated to the investigations surrounding oil-giant Petrobas.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-03-19

[stevenl]

Both of them felt invulnerable, and deserve a thorough and fair investigation. Him being back in the cabinet is a farce.

[bassman]

Rousseff/Lula reminds me so much of the Obama/Clinton team, out to ruin a nation over short term political gain.

[bendejo]

Particularly bad for the morale of the Brazilian people, who saw Lula as a sort of political saint. During his first term it was revealed one of his guys (may have been Chief of Staff) was found guilty of monkey business and people took it personally, assaulting the guy in the hallways etc.

As for Dilma the only thing she had going for her was St Lula's endorsement, IMO. There is an Al Jazeera documentary out there somewhere questioning whether Dilma really was imprisoned by the junta, etc. So much for her revolutionary cred.

[JemJem]

It is sadly so easy for neutrals to keep blaming Dilma and Lula, with the effect of the heavily biased right-wing media.

So, here is a different angle : https://theintercept.com/2016/03/18/brazil-is-engulfed-by-ruling-class-corruption-and-a-dangerous-subversion-of-democracy/

[Boon Mee]

Lula is basically a Communist and so is Delima. Voted in partly because Braziliains were tired of the playboy corruptocats, these two have transformed a once vibrant economy into a Cubalike socialist hell. Taxes are out of control.

The Toyota Hiux Vigo 3.0 liter truck I paid 30K USD here in LOS costs 3X that much in Brazil and Toyota builds them there as well.

Lady Thatcher had it right. "Socialism is a great form of government until you run out of other peoples money"

[stevenl]

Lula is basically a Communist and so is Delima. Voted in partly because Braziliains were tired of the playboy corruptocats, these two have transformed a once vibrant economy into a Cubalike socialist hell. Taxes are out of control.

The Toyota Hiux Vigo 3.0 liter truck I paid 30K USD here in LOS costs 3X that much in Brazil and Toyota builds them there as well.

Lady Thatcher had it right. "Socialism is a great form of government until you run out of other peoples money"

The issue at hand is about nepotism and persons making a mess of things, not about socialsm or capitalism. Why don't you stick to the issue in stead of turning a topic into the usual banter.

[Naam]

Lula is basically a Communist and so is Delima. Voted in partly because Braziliains were tired of the playboy corruptocats, these two have transformed a once vibrant economy into a Cubalike socialist hell. Taxes are out of control.

The Toyota Hiux Vigo 3.0 liter truck I paid 30K USD here in LOS costs 3X that much in Brazil and Toyota builds them there as well.

Lady Thatcher had it right. "Socialism is a great form of government until you run out of other peoples money"

incorrect information. don't get confused because BRL (Brazilian Real) is depicted as R$.

prices for this truck start around BRL 90,000 (equivalent US-Dollars 25,000 today).

http://www.carbay.br.com/en/new-car/toyota/hilux-double-cab

[Naam]

Rousseff/Lula reminds me so much of the Obama/Clinton team, out to ruin a nation over short term political gain.

for the record let's stick to facts and drop wishi-washi assumptions!

when Lula took over in 2003 Brazil was economically in deep sh@t, on the brink of insolvency and a default on its debt only a dozen years after sovereign debt restructuring inspite of the ridiculous raving, ranting and opposition of the then Treasury Secretary O'Neill.

that of course with the help of a bridge loan of USD 30bb arranged by the team Bill Clinton / Robert Rubin of which every single penny was paid back well in advance.

Dilma of course is a different story

take that from an investor who for the last quarter century held most of the time Brazilian sovereign and corporate debt.

[Boon Mee]

Lula is basically a Communist and so is Delima. Voted in partly because Braziliains were tired of the playboy corruptocats, these two have transformed a once vibrant economy into a Cubalike socialist hell. Taxes are out of control.

The Toyota Hiux Vigo 3.0 liter truck I paid 30K USD here in LOS costs 3X that much in Brazil and Toyota builds them there as well.

Lady Thatcher had it right. "Socialism is a great form of government until you run out of other peoples money"

The issue at hand is about nepotism and persons making a mess of things, not about socialsm or capitalism. Why don't you stick to the issue in stead of turning a topic into the usual banter.

No, the issue at hand is the economy and between the two of them it's gone steadily downhill.

Here in LOS, everyone can afford a motor scooter - they're everywhere.

In Brazil, folks can't afford much besides a plate of black beans and rice.

[stevenl]

Lula is basically a Communist and so is Delima. Voted in partly because Braziliains were tired of the playboy corruptocats, these two have transformed a once vibrant economy into a Cubalike socialist hell. Taxes are out of control.

The Toyota Hiux Vigo 3.0 liter truck I paid 30K USD here in LOS costs 3X that much in Brazil and Toyota builds them there as well.

Lady Thatcher had it right. "Socialism is a great form of government until you run out of other peoples money"

The issue at hand is about nepotism and persons making a mess of things, not about socialsm or capitalism. Why don't you stick to the issue in stead of turning a topic into the usual banter.

No, the issue at hand is the economy and between the two of them it's gone steadily downhill.

Here in LOS, everyone can afford a motor scooter - they're everywhere.

In Brazil, folks can't afford much besides a plate of black beans and rice.

Your assertions are not true. The topic is not about the Brazilian economy nod has the economy gone downhill under Lulu.

Your car prices have already been proved wrong, and you're wrong again.