BRASILIA, Brazil, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Brazil's government launched a political counterattack Tuesday, calling for an investigation into an opposition party's previous presidential campaigns.
Leaders in the ruling Worker's Party, known locally as the PT, called for a Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry to look into the campaigns of former Health Minister Jose Serra and two-term President Fernando Henrique Cardoso.
Serra, among other opposition leaders, has called for a CPI to look into the PT following last week's news that a presidential adviser solicited campaign contributions from a bookmaker in exchanged for political favors during the 2002 presidential campaign.
It was the first major scandal for President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and the PT.
Lula fired the adviser after the weekly magazine "Epoca" made accusations against the PT based on a videotape allegedly showing Waldomiro Diniz, now former deputy secretary of parliamentary affairs at the presidential palace, asking for the funds in exchange for favors.
Some PT leaders have pointed the finger at Serra as the possible culprit responsible for the tape's release, an accusation he has denied. Lula defeated Serra in the 2002 election and is the successor to Cardoso, who backed Serra in the race.
