25/03/2019 Judge Orders Brazil Ex-President Temer Released, Prosecutors to Appeal | World News | US News

CIVIC

Judge Orders Brazil Ex-President Temer Released,

Prosecutors to Appeal
March 25, 2019

FILE PHOTO: Brazil's former President Michel Temer is seen at the Federal Police headquarters in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil March 21, 2019. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes/File Photo REUTERS

BY RICARDO BRITO

BRASILIA (Reuters) - A Brazilian appeals court judge on Monday ordered the release
of former President Michel Temer from jail, following his high-pro le arrest on graft
charges last week, which marked a fresh landmark in the country's battle against
political corruption.

Federal prosecutors have accused Temer, who was president from 2016 to 2018, of
leading a "criminal organization" that had received or arranged for up to 1.8 billion
reais ($472 million) in bribes through various kickback schemes.

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25/03/2019 Judge Orders Brazil Ex-President Temer Released, Prosecutors to Appeal | World News | US News

He has denied any wrongdoing and his lawyers appealed for his release, arguing that
he could be tried while free.

Judge Ivan Athié of the TRF-2 federal appeals court said in his ruling that the evidence
provided by investigators did not justify the "preventive" jailing of Temer and seven
other defendants, including former minister Wellington Moreira Franco.

"You have here old facts, involving possibly illegal acts, but no evidence of repeated
criminality after 2016 or any other factor that justi es preventive imprisonment," wrote
Athié.

The federal prosecutor's o ce said in a statement it would appeal the judge's

decision, and hoped its request would be heard by the full bench of the appeals court
on Wednesday.

Temer's lawyer, Eduardo Carnelós, praised Athié's decision and criticized prosecutors
who, he said in a statement, "violate the most vicious notions of law, and vilify the
honor of honest people to deprive them of their freedoms."

Brazil's sweeping "Car Wash" probe has uncovered what U.S. prosecutors called the
world's largest graft scheme, starting with political bribery involving state-run oil
company Petroleo Brasileiro SA and spreading to other sectors and public works.

Over 150 powerful politicians and businessmen have been convicted in connection to
the investigation since 2014, which has reshaped the country's political and business
landscapes.

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25/03/2019 Judge Orders Brazil Ex-President Temer Released, Prosecutors to Appeal | World News | US News

Temer is the second former president to be arrested in the anti-corruption push.

Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is in jail serving over 12 years for a
corruption conviction.

Voters' anger over long-running graft fueled the ascent of President Jair Bolsonaro, a
far-right politician who served 30 years as a fringe lawmaker, but rose to power on the
back of pledges to end graft in Brasilia.

The arrest of Temer on Thursday had added to a selloff in Brazilian nancial markets
last week, stirring concerns that the case could distract Congress from major
economic reforms.

The Bovespa stock index erased losses on the news of Temer's release, trading in line
with Friday's close. Brazil's currency rmed brie y to its strongest level of the day
against the dollar before retreating to a 0.9 percent advance in the session.

(Reporting by Ricardo Brito; Additional reporting by Eduardo Simões in Sao Paulo,

Rodrigo Viga Gaier in Rio de Janeiro; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Sandra Maler)

Copyright 2019 Thomson Reuters.

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