Brazilian president says he will block proposed bribe amnesty measure

BRASILIA, Brazil, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- Brazilian President Michel Temer said he will block legislation granting amnesty for politicians who received illegal campaign contributions as part of the Petrobras corruption investigation.

Brazilian lawmakers in the lower house on Tuesday will vote on a bill in which an amendment proposes that politicians who received undeclared donations in previous elections would be granted amnesty. The proposal is widely unpopular in Brazil and thousands of Brazilians have taken to the streets in protest in the past month.

"It would be impossible for a president of the Republic to sanction such a proposal," Temer said on Sunday when he announced his plan to block the measure. "It was necessary to listen to the voice of the street."

Temer, Speaker of the Federal Senate Renan Calheiros and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Rodrigo Maia suggested lawmakers not approve the controversial amendment.

The undeclared campaign contributions have been connected by federal investigators to widespread corruption through bribes. Dozens of Brazilian business leaders and politicians have been indicted for corruption, money laundering and racketeering over the scandal in Petrobras, a semi-public oil and gas company.

Politicians are accused of accepting bribes in exchange for lucrative government contracts. Temer, former President Dilma Rousseff -- Temer's predecessor before she was impeached -- and former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva are among politicians accused of taking part in the bribery scheme.