Political upheaval continued to roil Brazil on Monday with the announcement that a top Cabinet minister would be stepping down, less than two weeks after his appointment to the position.
A spokesman for Romero Juca, the country’s interim planning minister, confirmed the announcement to CNN by telephone.
“He [Juca] has announced that he is going to step down for now,” said Andre Reis Diniz, press coordinator for the Planning Ministry.
Diniz said the announced leave of absence was linked to a recorded conversation by the minister reported in a Brazilian newspaper.
In the report, Juca is quoted allegedly conspiring to block a corruption investigation.
“Because of all the speculation about the news, he decided that he is going to step down for now in order to ensure that everything is going to be [followed] according to the law,” Diniz added.
Juca was appointed to the position of planning minister 11 days ago, as part of the Cabinet of acting President Michel Temer. Temer replaced Brazil’s elected President Dilma Rousseff, who was suspended earlier this month during the Senate impeachment investigation that accuses her of corruption.(Ivan Watson, CNN)
Link: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/05/23/americas/brazil-politics/index.html
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