A report from Brazil's congressional commission has revealed that there exist sufficient grounds to try President Dilma Rousseff for corruption, particularly for manipulating government funds in 2014 to support her reelection campaign.
As Brazil inches closer to put President Rousseff on an impeachment vote, Congressman Jovair Arantes told the 65-member lower-house committee that there are "minimal indicators" that would implicate the president to an impeachable crime, TIME reported.
"The facts show serious indications of unconstitutionality, illegality and fiscal irresponsibility," Jovair Arantes said in a 130-page dossier.
According to Bloomberg, Arantes added that lawmakers could also consider graft allegations against Rousseff for her involvement in the state-run company Petrobras where she reportedly received kickbacks. Investigators have not filed charges against President Rousseff in that respect, although they are determining whether or not her campaign did benefit from illegal donations from the company. However, Rousseff's Worker's Party has since denied such.
The report, although non-binding, could sway the votes in favor of President Dilma Rousseff's impeachment. Anti-government organization VemPraRua said that as of Wednesday, 267 members of Congress support Rousseff's impeachment, while 119 oppose it. Rousseff's allies, however, indicated that 129 votes were against her impeachment.
Before the impeachment trial can commence in the Senate, the matter will be put to a vote in the lower House of Deputies later this April. If two-thirds of the 513 legislators vote for impeachment, the trial in the Senate will proceed.
BBC News reported that at the time of the impeachment trial, President Rousseff will be suspended for 180 days. Vice President Michel Temer is poised to assume the position as acting president. However, he is also facing corruption charges for manipulating government accounts.
The Supreme Court has suggested that a congressional committee should determine if there are grounds for impeachment against Temer. House Speaker Eduardo Cunha, who called the Supreme Court ruling on Temer "absurd," plans to appeal the case before the court.
Other than impeachment, the Rousseff administration is also struggling with low poll rankings, an economic crisis and the Zika virus outbreak.
