Impeachment process begins against Brazil President Dilma Rousseff

BRASILIA, Brazil, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- Brazil Chamber of Deputies Speaker Eduardo Cunha opened an impeachment process against President Dilma Rousseff on Tuesday.

Cunha said he began the process based on allegations that Rousseff broke the law when managing Brazil's budget in 2014. An audit court in October ruled that Rousseff illegally borrowed money from state banks in order to fund budget shortfalls.

The impeachment document, filed by Helio Bicudo, a distinguished jurist, and several opposition members, also makes note of the Petrobras corruption scandal.

Rousseff headed Petrobras, a semi-public oil and gas company, as apparent bribery took place. She was exonerated by authorities, but senior members of her government have been charged.

More than 39 people in Brazil have been indicted on corruption, money laundering and racketeering in the Petrobras scandal. The Brazilian Federal Police said the indicted members of the group moved over $3.9 billion in what police term as "atypical" financial transactions.

Millions of Brazilians joined protests throughout 2015 to condemn Rousseff, many calling for her impeachment. Rousseff's approval rating has dipped to single-digit lows due to corruption allegations and Brazil's weakening economy.

Brazil's economy has dwindled from a booming 7.5 percent increase in gross domestic product in 2010 to an economy that continues to contract -- shrinking 1.7 percent in the third quarter of 2015 when compared with the second quarter.

Brazil is enduring the country's worst recession in 25 years. In 2015, the economy is nearly 5 percent smaller than it was last year. The Petrobras scandal is partly to blame because it led to decreases in foreign investment, according to Economy Minister Joaquim Levy.

The impeachment process needs the approval of two-thirds of the Chamber of Deputies, Brazil's lower house of parliament, to proceed. Rousseff said she expects the motion to be rejected since the governing coalition has a majority.

Cunha faces his own corruption allegations as part of the Petrobras scandal. He is accused of taking millions in bribes and of lying about a secret bank account in Switzerland. An ethics committee is voting on whether to authorize an action to eject him from his post as Chamber of Deputies speaker.

Cunha previously threatened to open impeachment proceedings if the governing party did not support him amid the scandal. He said the reason for the impeachment motion was "purely technical."

"It was a difficult decision," Cunha wrote on his Facebook page. "I did not become speaker of the Chamber of Deputies aiming to approve impeachment proceedings against the president."

Rousseff said she was "outraged by the decision" and indirectly condemned Cunha.

"I've committed no illicit act, there is no suspicion hanging over me of any misuse of public money," Rousseff said in a televised address. "I don't have any offshore bank accounts, I have no hidden assets."