Bolsonaro defends ex-education minister arrested on corruption charges

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro speaks with Milton Ribeiro throughout a signing ceremony to authorise a income maximize for instructors, at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil February 4, 2022. REUTERS/Adriano Machado

BRASILIA, June 23 (Reuters) – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stated on Thursday that the arrest of previous education and learning minister Milton Ribeiro was an try to weaken the governing administration and vowed to support him.

The president mentioned the previous minister, who is under investigation for suspected corruption involving education and learning resources, should not have been arrested and identified as the investigation “frivolous”.

“I however believe that in Milton, if a thing arrives up, he will reply for his actions,” said the president in his weekly are living general public deal with, adding the arrest was an endeavor “to use down the authorities.”

Ribeiro, an evangelical pastor, was released on Thursday, just one working day just after remaining arrested by the Federal Law enforcement. browse a lot more

He resigned in March just after allegations surfaced that he gave preferential treatment to two pastors for educational funding in return for bribes. go through extra

There ended up also inquiries about a payment created concerning Ribeiro’s wife and the daughter of a different pastor, believed to have involved the sale of a car or truck.

Bolsonaro downplayed the allegations and said he would place his confront “in the hearth” for Ribeiro, afterwards clarifying he would only place his hand in.

The evangelical sect is amid Bolsonaro’s most faithful supporter bases.

Reporting by Maria Carolina Marcello Writing by Carolina Pulice Enhancing by Isabel Woodford and Stephen Coates

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