Brazilians have taken to the streets across the country to protest the appointment of former president Ignacio Lula da Silva to Dilma Rousseff's cabinet, as critics said leaked recordings of phone calls between the pair suggested the move was designed to protect the ex-leader from arrest.
Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images
The recordings emerged shortly after Ms Rousseff named Mr Lula as her new chief of staff, a position which shields him from money laundering charges in a vast corruption scandal that is threatening to take down the government.
Demonstrators rally for Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff's impeachment along Paulista Avenue, in Sao Paulo Photo: AFP/Getty
In the tapes, which emerged ahead of Mr Lula's inauguration in Brasilia on Thursday, Ms Rousseff can be heard telling him that she will send over the papers for his appointment before the ceremony “in case of necessity”.
The leak comes as Ms Rousseff herself faces impeachment proceedings over alleged illegalities in the government budget.
Critics argued that the recording was evidence that the manoeuvre was a tactic to help Mr Lula, Ms Rousseff's political mentor, evade prosecution.
As a government minister, he will have special privileges that mean he can only be tried in Brazil’s Supreme Court, staving off the current charges against him that were recently filed at a São Paulo court.
A demonstrator throws an inflatable doll known as "Pixuleco" of Brazil's former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a bonfire during a protest at the appointment of Lula da Silva as a minister, in front of the national congress in Brasilia Photo: Reuters
The charges are part of the on-going Lava Jato (“Car Wash”) operation, which has uncovered a US$2 billion bribery scheme within state-controlled oil company Petrobras.
In a statement, a spokesman for the president said the ministerial paperwork had been sent to Mr Lula in advance in case he was unable to attend his swearing in.
The government condemned the leak of the bugged phone calls as an “affront to the rights and guarantees of the presidency”.
“All the necessary legal and administrative measures will be taken to repair the flagrant violation of the law and the Constitution, committed by the judge responsible for the leak,” the statement added.
Cristiano Zanin Martins, Mr Lula's lawyer, described the leak as "arbitrary" and said it was designed to provoke “social turmoil”, according to the news website G1.
Demonstrators return tear gas to riot police during a protest against corruption in front of the Congress building in Brasilia Photo: AFP/Getty
Mr Lula was due to be inaugurated as chief of staff on Thursday in Brasília, where supporters and protesters were gathering since dawn.
On Wednesday night, spontaneous demonstrations erupted in several cities around the country, while many voiced their disapproval with “panelaços” or pot-banging protests.
Marina Silva, who also ran in the 2014 presidential election, said Mr Lula’s inclusion in the government had effectively changed the regime, making him a de facto prime minister without a mandate.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Photo: GETTY
Opponents said the move effectively puts Mr Lula in command of the government while Ms Rousseff faces impeachment proceedings, which were due to begin in earnest on Thursday with the election of a special committee to assess the petition.
“Lula was elected for a first and second mandate. He wasn’t elected for a third and fourth,” Ms Silva told Jovem Pan radio. “The person who was elected was President Dilma. This creates some ambiguity in the process.”
More mass demonstrations were expected on Friday, following a historic turnout for protests calling for Ms Rousseff's removal on Sunday.
“The degradation is now terminal, given the recent scandals, the government’s underground chicanery and Lula,” said Vinicius Torres Freire, a political columnist with Folha de São Paulo newspaper.
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