Renata Giraldi, Danilo Macedo and Yara Aquino       Reporters Agência Brasil

Brasília – After charges of corruption appeared this weekend in the weekly newsmagazine, Veja, the minister of Sports, Orlando Silva, announced that he will testify before a Lower House commission on Tuesday, October 18. It is expected that he will also appear before a Senate commission later this week.

In Veja, a military policeman, João Dias Ferreira, declared that the minister was part of a scheme that embezzled money from the Second Half Program (“Programa Segundo Tempo”), which financed NGOs that ran projects to keep young, poor, at-risk children off the street by enrolling them in sports activities after school.

Orlando Silva is also expected to answer questions about the World Soccer Cup General Law for 2014 when Brazil will host the event. The international soccer governing body, FIFA, has expressed displeasure with some provisions in the law.

An opposition senator, Alvaro Dias (PSDB-PR) declared that he is interested in the activities of both Orlando Silva and the former minister of Sports, Agnelo Queiroz, who is now the governor of the Federal District.

On Monday, Silva declared that he repudiated the charges made by Dias vehemently and called the sources of the Veja article “bandits.” He added that the only time he met Dias was when he was the executive secretary of the Ministry of Sports when Agnelo Queiroz was the minister. At that time, according to Silva, a contract (as part of the Second Half Program) was signed with an NGO that Dias headed.

Minister Silva was in Guadalajara for the Pan American Games when the Veja article came out. He immediately returned to Brasilia and met with the presidential Chief of Staff, Gleisi Hoffman, here in Brasilia, at her home, Sunday evening, October 16. He also requested an investigation of the charges by the Ministry of Justice and the Federal Police.

João Dias Ferreira, the policeman who made the accusations is a member of the Communist Party (“PCdoB”), as is Orlando Silva. Agnelo Queiroz was a member of the PCdoB, but is now in the PT.

Link - Orlando Silva presta esclarecimentos na Câmara sobre denúncias no Ministério do Esporte

Link - Orlando Silva garante que denúncias são infundadas

Link - Gleisi Hoffmann e Orlando Silva conversam sobre denúncias envolvendo Ministério do Esporte