Brazil's top court puts Temer corruption case on hold

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Brazil's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday to suspend an investigation into alleged wrongdoing by President Michel Temer until his term ends.

Supreme Court Justice Edson Fachin, who is overseeing the case, said the decision was sparked by an earlier vote by lawmakers to drop the corruption case.

Last week, the Chamber of Deputies voted 263 to 227 to abandon the investigation.

Brazilian President Michel Temer delivers a speech during the announcement of the distribution of the results of the workers' severance guarantee fund (FGTS) at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, on August 10, 2017. /AFP Photo

"Given the Chamber of Deputies' refusal to approve the pursuit of the facts in relation to the president, (the case) should be suspended until the end of the presidential term," said Fachin.

Brazil's Prosecutor General Rodrigo Janot filed charges against the president following revelations by top executives at Brazilian multinational meatpacking company JBS that they had been paying bribes to Temer since 2010.

Temer's term ends on January 1, 2019, and the court could decide to reopen the case then.

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Source(s): Xinhua News Agency