Luciana Vasconcelos
Reporter Agência Brasil

Brasília - The president of the Chamber of Deputies, Aldo Rebelo (PCdoB-SP), said he did not believe in the existence of an under-the-table deal to free deputies accused of involvement in the so-called "mensalão" scandal from expulsion.

"I do not believe there is any secret agreement on punishment or innocence, either in the Ethics Council or in the Chamber itself. I do not believe there is any secret deal at all," said Rebelo.

On Tuesday, deputy Osmar Serraglio, a high-ranking member of the Parliamentary Investigative Commission (CPI) that is investigating the "mensalão" declared that he was afraid many of those involved in the payment scheme which reportedly gave a kind of monthly allowance to members of Congress in return for support of government measures would go unpunished. Serraglio went public with his suspicions that there was a secret deal being made to allow the rest of the accused to go free (so far two deputies have been expelled because of the scandal: Roberto Jefferson (PTB-RJ) and Jose Dirceu (PT-SP). The Ethics Council has recommended the expulsion of eleven more deputies.

Translation: Allen Bennett