Brazil: Temer denies irregularities in builder's donation to 2014 campaign

Brazil's President Michel Temer through his spokesman denied there is anything illegal with a R$1 million check (worth $300,000 in today's value) donated to his campaign as former president Dilma Rousseff's running mate in the 2014 election.

“It's a check the PMDB paid into the campaign of then-Vice-President Michel Temer, dated as of June 10, 2014. It's all in the check. There was nothing illegal about his campaign,” said Presidential Spokesman Alexandre Parola.

The Superior Electoral Court (TSE) is examining a lawsuit filed by PSDB party to declare the Rousseff-Temer ticket invalid for alleged use of political and economic power in the 2014 campaign. According to the court, Rousseff's defense brought the check from Andrade Gutierrez construction corporation as evidence that the money, which had been alleged to be related to contracts involving the builder, was paid into the ticket's campaign through Temer's PMDB party, rather than Rousseff's Worker Party (PT).

Translated by Mayra Borges