Defense team of Brazilian President presented defense to the parliament

The defense team of Brazilian President Michel Temer presented on Wednesday a written defense to the parliament, which will vote on whether to open a formal case against Temer.

Brazil's Chief Prosecution Office on June 26 formally denounced Temer for corruption, making him the first Brazilian president in history to be prosecuted for a common crime while in office.

The Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Brazil's parliament, is currently analyzing the charges against Temer.

Temer is accused of taking bribes from a private company which seeks favorable government decisions in exchange. He was caught on tape having a compromising conversation with Joesley Batista, head of meatpacking group JBS, one of Brazil's largest private companies.

Prosecutor General Rodrigo Janot filed charges against Temer. Supreme Court Justice Edson Fachin decided later to send related legal documents straight to the Chamber of Deputies for a vote.

A full Chamber vote, with a two-third majority, or 342 out of 513 votes, will be needed to open a formal case against Temer. If Temer is formally charged, he will have to step down from office.

The Chamber's Constitution and Justice Commission has appointed a rapporteur to the case to prepare a report for the vote first by the Commission and then by the entire parliament.

Temer maintains innocence in his written defense presented to the parliament. In the document, his lawyers said the charges against Temer are "work of fiction," and are based on only hypotheses. They said the prosecution fails to provide evidence of crime and that the information provided is inconsistent.

Temer's lawyers also accuse the police and the prosecution of being "encouraged by the media" and assuming that Temer is guilty.

Temer said the meeting with Batista, which occurred late night and was never mentioned in the president's schedule, was a casual, unimportant incident, as the president should "keep in contact with representatives from several segments of the society."

Temer's defense team reiterated their stance that the conversation tape, which an expert said was tampered, is not admissible evidence. However, forensic analyses have indicated the recording is genuine.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)