Brazil top court rejects Rousseff requset to annul impeachment

Brazil's Supreme Court has dismissed claims by suspended president, Dilma Rousseff, and her defense team about irregularities in a session in Congress, during which senators voted to open an impeachment trial against her.

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Ricardo Lewandowski on Tuesday rejected a request from Rousseff to annul the session, saying neither he nor the Supreme Court could rule on the matter as it was a decision made in Congress.

Lewandowski, who will preside over the trial, said that even if the court were to decide on the issue, the procedures used at the session on August 10 “did not harm the accused.”

Rousseff’s defense team has filed several complaints against the process, claiming that some of the procedures used at the session violated her rights.

The court had already rejected the appeals filed by Rousseff’s lawyers, allowing the process to continue. 

Senators are expected to begin the impeachment trial on Thursday. Rousseff will also be allowed to respond to senators’ queries to convince them that she is innocent. A vote will then be held in which Congress members could remove her from office.

Rousseff was suspended on May 12 when the lower house of parliament accused her of financial wrongdoing during an election year. She has rejected the accusation, saying she has been the victim of a “coup” by her opponents.

SS