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The Brazilian Supreme Court summoned Lower House of Congress Speaker Eduardo Cunha on Tuesday, granting him a 10-day delay to present his defense regarding the corruption charges he has been facing since December.
Cunha is being investigated for receiving bribes worth about US$475,000 from the construction company OAS Group in exchange for securing contracts for the construction of public venues and other projects for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
He is accused of influencing legislation approved in 2012, by which tax exemptions were granted to the same construction company and important tariffs lifted on foreign goods needed for the event, benefiting companies that have been granted contracts for the Olympics.
The Brazilian government estimates that the tax breaks totaled around US$1 billion.
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So far, Cunha's defense strategy has been to deny all the accusations.
Meanwhile, he faces separate corruption and money laundering accusations, including allegations that he and other lawmakers and officials received millions of dollars in bribes in exchange for contracts with the state-run Brazilian oil company Petrobras.
Ironically, Cunha is responsible for spearheading an attempt to impeach President Dilma Rousseff, a move that her supporters claim is meant to draw the public attention away from the corruption charges he is facing.
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