Brazil Tourism Minister Pedro Novais resigns. Mr Novais denies wrongdoing
The Tourism Minister, the Deputy Minister and 38 Officials are arrested on charges of misusing public money
Brazilian Tourism Minister Pedro Novais has resigned over allegations that he misused public funds. Mr Novais quit after newspaper reports accused him of using public money to employ a maid and a driver for his wife while he was a congressman. He denies wrongdoing, and says he stepped down to prepare his defence.
He is the fourth minister to leave over corruption allegations since President Dilma Rousseff took office in January. Five have departed in total. Opposition groups say the resignations show that Ms Rousseff’s government is tainted by corruption. But the government insists corruption has always existed in Brazil – the difference now is that cases are being made public and action is being taken, our correspondent adds. The resignations have strained Ms Rousseff’s governing coalition, which is made up of more than a dozen parties.
Mr Novais, 81, is a member of her largest coalition partner, the Democratic Movement Party of Brazil (PMDB). The latest accusations against him follow other allegations of corruption at Brazil’s ministry of tourism.
Last month more than 30 ministry officials were arrested on charges of misusing public money. Brazilian police have arrested more than 30 tourism officials and business leaders, including Deputy Tourism Minister Frederico Silva da Costa.
They are accused of conspiring to divert public money for private gain, charges they deny. Almost 200 police took part in the operation to detain the suspects.
Mr Costa is the third high-ranking official caught up in corruption allegations since President Dilma Rousseff took office in January.Prosecutors said the suspects had awarded contracts at inflated prices to complicit firms that often were not qualified to carry out the work.
Arrests warrants were issued for 38 people and by late Tuesday, 35 were in custody, Brazilian media reported. The officials were arrested in the cities of Brasilia, Sao Paulo and Macapa. The arrests come in the wake of allegations of corruption at the ministries of agriculture and transport. “ according to BBC” ( pictures Agencia Brasil)