BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (BDCi) – Brazil’s embattled sports minister resigned amid allegations of corruption.
He is the sixth minister to step down in disgrace since President Dilma Rousseff took office in January.
The sports minister, Orlando Silva, a holdover from the previous government, was pressured to resign after accusations that he took kickbacks from nongovernmental groups chosen to work on sporting events.
The scandal comes at a time when Ms. Rousseff’s government is spending billions of dollars to prepare stadiums and other infrastructure for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Mr. Silva was already under from FIFA, the international governing body of soccer, for his role in World Cup preparations which the organization said is lagging. Last week, Ms. Rousseff striped Mr. Silva of decision-making authority related to the World Cup.
Mr. Silva denied the corruption accusations and said he was the victim of a “public lynching.”
By: Natania Levine Courtesy: nytimes.com Photo: Google Images 27 October 2011
11:33 a.m P.D.T