Petrobras and Brazil: Continued

A year ago, I wrote a blog entry entitled "Petrobras and Brazil," a brief comment on the bid-rigging and bribery scandal.

A lot has happened since then.

In early March, law enforcement officers questioned former President Lula da Silva and raided his home as part of an investigation known as Operation Car Wash.

In mid March, defying Car Wash, President Dilma Rousseff named Lula as her chief of staff, Both supporters and opponents of Rousseff/Silva took to the streets to protest against/for Car Wash in the following days.

Rousseff herself was vulnerable. She had been on the board of directors of Petrobras in 2003-2010.

In April, the lower House initiated an impeachment action against Rousseff. The Senate voted in May to suspend her from office. This suspension is not a simple removal -- and Rousseff apparently continues to live in the presidential palace. But the acting president, during the suspension, is Michel Temer.

Meanwhile there is an impeachment process underway against Temer as well.

http://ultimosegundo.ig.com.br/politica/2016-01-06/cunha-arquiva-pedido-de-impeachment-de-temer.html

I don't know off hand whether the charges against Temer are connected to the Petrobras scandal. There are other ways to get one's self into trouble in Brazil, I'm guessing.

I leave these research notes here, because it is as good a place as any to store them, and because I welcome observations from better informed readers.

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