Alessandra Bastos
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Brasília – The downfall of minister of Finance, Antonio Palocci, was sealed when it was discovered that information about a bank account had been made public by someone in the government in violation of bank secrecy laws. The bank account (actually a passbook savings account) that was violated belonged to Francenildo Santos Costa, a caretaker-gardener who contradicted testimony given by minister Palocci.

As a result of the violation of bank secrecy laws, Jorge Mattoso, the president of the state-run Federal Mortgage and Savings Bank (Caixa Econômica Federal), where Costa had his account, has been indicted by the Federal Police. He is charged with what is called "violação de sigilo funcional," in Portuguese (violation of bank secrecy laws).

Mattoso denies breaking the law and after testifying to the Federal Police he resigned as president of the Caixa.

Translation: Allen Bennett