Iolando Lourenço
Reporter Agência Brasil

Brasília – The president of the Chamber of Deputies, Severino Cavalcanti (PP- PE), has now sent the Ethics Council a final list of the last four deputies who face possible expulsion from the Congress. They are: Romeu Queiroz (PTB-MG), José Dirceu (PT-SP), Sandro Mabel (PL-GO) and Francisco Gonçalves (PTB-MG). They join four other deputies whose names Cavalcanti had already sent to the council: Sandro Matos (PTB-RJ), Neuton Lima (PTB-SP), Joaquim Francisco (PTB-PE) and Alex Canziani (PTB-PR).

Pursuant to Brazilian legislative practice, the deputies can resign up to the moment they are formally charged. By resigning they do not lose their "political rights," they just have to give up their seats in the Congress and can run for election again next year. However, if the expulsion process goes through and they are expelled from Congress, besides losing their congressional seats, they are prohibited from running for office for a number of years.

There is some question about the charges against Gonçalves as they are based exclusively on his own confession of wrongdoing. He is accused of not taking action after he saw a suitcase full of money in the Congress. All the others are accused of involvement in the payoff scheme denounced by deputy Roberto Jefferson (PTB-RJ).

Translator: Allen Bennett