Brazil’s Rousseff decides fate of sports minister

Reuters/Daily Star, 10/21/2011

Brazil's Sports Minister Orlando Silva speaks to journalists and denies the allegations of fraud in the Sports Ministry's contracts with private companies and NGOs, in Brasilia October 17, 2011. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff will decide the fate of her embattled sports minister after meeting with him on Friday to discuss the corruption allegations against him, a government source said.

“She wants to meet with him personally before deciding,” said the source, who was well informed of the matter but not authorized to discuss it publicly.

Orlando Silva is accused of arranging up to 40 million reais ($23 million) in kickbacks from government contracts to benefit himself and the Communist Party of Brazil, which is part of Rousseff’s governing coalition.

Read more…

Brazil sports minister Orlando Silva denies corruption

BBC News, 10/18/2011

Brazilian Sports Minister Orlando Silva has denied accusations that he was involved in the embezzlement of millions of dollars in public funds.

The influential Brazilian magazine Veja published detailed allegations that he took cash from a scheme to promote sport among poor children.

But Mr Silva has dismissed the report as “farcical” and “false”.

Read more…

Brazil Sports Minister: next victim of the corruption-exposure campaign?

Mercopress, 10/17/2011

Orlando Silva and his predecessor both belong to the Communist party.

Brazil’s largest circulation magazine Veja, claimed in its last edition that the Sports Minister Orlando Silva has been involved in corruption actions totalling millions of dollars originally destined to promote sports among children from poor households.

Allegedly the program ‘Second Half’ in the last eight years could have been involved in the deviation of almost the equivalent of 23 million dollars and could include in the scam Orlando Silva’s predecessor in the job, Agnelo Queiroz, currently governor of Brasilia Federal District.

The magazine famous for exposing corruption cases that have knocked out several ministers from the cabinet of President Dilma Rousseff says the source of information is a policeman, Joao Dias Ferrerira, together with Minister Silva, both members of the Communist Party of Brazil, who has been in jail since last year for having pocketed money from a non government organization which received monthly instalments from the Sports Ministry.

Read more…