President Termer should not be dismissed: Court

Brasilia, June 10:Brazil's top electoral court has voted to remove Brazilian President Michel Temer to remove his presidency. President of the Supreme Electoral Court Gilmar Mendes on Friday broke a three-three tie between the other six judges on the panel to absolve Temer of illegal campaign financing charges, Xinhua news agency reported. It was alleged that the Temer was used for illegal financing for winning the 2014 presidential election as  Vice President and Dilma Rousseff as President.

Rousseff was impeached in 2016, putting Temer in charge, but if their electoral victory had been ruled invalid and nullified, his current status as president would have come under fire. Judge Herman Benjamin, the rapporteur for the case, had said earlier in the day that sufficient evidence existed to invalidate the electoral outcome. Benjamin presented e-mails, testimony, bank records and other proof linking the winning ticket to corporate interests that made secret campaign contributions. His claims have affected both the other judges, but no consensus was reached. The trial was the first of its kind in Brazil.