Brazilian Senate begins Dilma Rousseff impeachment trial
(VOVworld) - The Brazilian Senate began Thursday the impeachment trial of suspended president Dilma Rousseff for violating national budget laws.
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| A view of the Brazilian Senate during the beginning of the first session of the final stage of the impeachment process against suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff in Brasilia, Brazil, 25 August 2016 (Photo: EPA/ VNA) |
The proceedings began with a statement by Ricardo Lewandowski, president of the Supreme Court. On August 29, Rousseff will appear and provide her testimony for the first time since she was temporarily suspended for up to 180 days on 12 May. A two-thirds majority, 54 out of 81 senators is needed to fully remove her from office, and Vice President Michel Temer took over the presidency on an interim basis until December 2018.
Ms. Rousseff was accused of seeking to hide public budget deficits through fiscal irregularities, such as delaying loan payments to public banks and ordering additional loans without congressional approval.