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| Mr Lupi said he had a clear conscience |
Brazil's
Labour Minister, Carlos Lupi, has handed in his resignation to President Dilma
Rousseff.
He is the
seventh minister to resign since President Rousseff took office in January. Six
departed amid scandals over alleged corruption.
Most had
been members of the previous government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
In a
statement, Mr Lupi said he had been subject to personal and political
persecution by the media.
But he said
he had a clear conscience and he would be proved innocent.
He was
being investigated after a Brazilian news magazine Veja reported in November
that Mr Lupi and some of his aides had allegedly demanded kickbacks from
charities and non-governmental organisations in exchange for funding from the
ministry.
The Folha
de Sao Paulo newspaper also reported that he was being investigated for
allegedly receiving a salary as a federal congressional employee, while at the
same time serving in, and receiving a salary from, the state legislature of Rio
de Janeiro.
Receiving
two government salaries is illegal under Brazilian law.
'Tainted'
Some
members of congress from Mr Lupi's own party, the PDT, had requested an
investigation into the allegations.
But pressure
on Mr Lupi to resign increased dramatically on Wednesday after a presidential
ethics committee recommended that he should be sacked for gross mismanagement.
Opposition
groups have previously said that the resignations under President Rousseff show
that her government is tainted by corruption.
But the
government insists corruption has always existed in Brazil - the difference now
is that cases are being made public and action is being taken.
The
resignations have strained Ms Rousseff's governing coalition, which is made up
of more than a dozen parties.
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