Brasília - This afternoon the Chamber of Deputies is scheduled to vote on a motion to expel (pedido de cassação) deputy Roberto Jefferson (PTB-RJ).The vote is secret and the motion needs 257 votes (there are 513 deputies) in order to be successful.

The motion to expel Jefferson was presented by the PL after he denounced the existence of a payoff scheme in Congress which paid members of allied parties (among them the PL) to ensure that they voted with the government. Jefferson has not presented proof of the scheme. But he did confess to receiving US$1.7 million (R$4 million) from the PT in unregistered funds, which is an electoral crime.

Translator: Allen Bennett