Brazilian president drops bid to suspend own corruption probe

May 24 (UPI) -- Brazilian President Michel Temer dropped his attempt to suspend a Supreme Federal Court, or STF, investigation into corruption and obstruction of justice, his lawyers said.

Though the STF was going to debate whether to accept Temer's request to suspend the investigation, his lawyers said they want the inquiry to move forward to have Temer's name cleared from wrongdoing.

The case against Temer initiated after Jornal O Globo last week reported it obtained recordings of a conversation between Temer and a food company business leader, who recorded the discussion secretly, in which Temer purportedly endorsed the executive's hush money payments to silence jailed politician Eduardo Cuhna as a potential witness in a corruption investigation.

Temer's lawyers argue the recording is inadmissible because it has been heavily edited, and thus an investigation would be fraudulent.

"We want this investigation to be concluded as soon as possible," Temer attorney Gustavo Guedes said Tuesday. "The only evidence against him, the recording, is useless."

Members of Brazil's Congress, including some political allies, have called on Temer to resign. The newspaper's report led to immediate protests against Temer in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, also calling for his resignation.

Jornal O Globo reported that Temer's allies have already begun to take steps in anticipation of Temer's resignation or removal by initiating party negotiations and by holding indirect elections. Sources close to Temer said the president may leave in "an honorable" way.

"I have never bought anyone's silence, haven't obstructed justice and haven't done anything against the judiciary," Temer said in a televised address on Saturday.

Temer replaced former President Dilma Rousseff in August 2016 when the Federal Senate voted to remove her from office over accusations she broke budget laws.

In November, she accused Temer of taking a $295,000 bribe she was initially accused of taking. Her lawyers said documents showed the bribe was transferred directly into the general campaign finance fund of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, to which Temer belongs.

Though nearly a third of Temer's Cabinet is under investigation for alleged corruption, Jornal O Globo's report is the first time he is directly implicated in illicit activity.