By Maria Pas Salas
SANTIAGO, Chile (AA) – Brazil’s Supreme Court decided Thursday to suspend Eduardo Cunha, head of the Chamber of Deputies.
Cunha is one of the most powerful politicians in the country and responsible for opening impeachment procedures against President Dilma Rousseff.
He has accused Rousseff of hiding budget deficits that has contributed to the worst recession in decades in the Latin American country.
Judge Teori Zavascki decided Cunha’s dismissal, followed by an endorsement by the full court.
Cunha is being investigated for a long list of accusations of corruption and attempts to stop those investigations.
Last December, Attorney General Rodrigo Janot called Cunha a “criminal” and accused him of having used his position to obstruct the investigation against him involving a corruption case at state-owned oil giant Petrobras.
Cunha has denied the accusations.
He stood third in the line of presidential succession in the event Rousseff is removed from office. Vice President Michel Temer, who is also under investigation, would take the reins from Rousseff.
In its ruling, Zavascki said because Cunha is under investigation, he is not fit to be in line for the country’s highest office in the event impeachment is successful.
The Chamber of Deputies last month approved a political trial against Rousseff.
The measure is now in the hands of the Senate were a special committee will decide Friday whether to continue with impeachment.
