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A12 WORLD NEWS
Friday 7 december 2018

Brazil president: Not worried about looming corruption cases

By PETER PRENGAMAN nies paying politicians for
Associated Press favors, often with money
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — from inflated public works
President Michel Temer contracts.
said Thursday he was not Legal observers believe the
worried about corruption cases against Temer are
charges that could lead to strong and will likely move
his being jailed after leav- forward. In recent weeks,
ing office Jan. 1. local news media have re-
In a meeting with foreign ported that Temer might be
correspondents in the presi- given an ambassadorship
dential residence in Brasilia, by the incoming adminis-
Temer said the cases were tration of President-elect
without merit, even if he Jair Bolsonaro.
said they nixed chances Such a position would give
his administration could Temer the partial immunity
achieve major reforms, given to federal lawmak-
such as to the pension sys- ers, cabinet members and
tem. several other top officials.
"I'm at ease. I don't have The law stipulates that only
the least bit of worry," Temer the nation's top court, the
said, adding he believed Supreme Federal Tribunal,
they would be thrown out. can decide whether to al-
As a sitting president, Temer Brazil's President Michel Temer speaks during a breakfast with foreign correspondents in the low charges to go forward
has partial immunity, which presidential residence in Brasilia, Brazil, Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018. or put any particular official
has helped him avoid crimi- Associated Press on trial, which in practice
nal prosecution. Twice the trial for charges leveled by Over the last four years, nu- sprawling corruption inves- slows any prosecution. But
lower Chamber of Depu- the attorney general. merous businessmen and tigation called "Car Wash." granting such an appoint-
ties in Congress, which must When the 78-year-old politicians, including ex- The cases against Temer ment would be problem-
weigh in on matters involv- leaves office, however, President Luiz Inacio Lula are connected to that larg- atic for Bolsonaro, who ran
ing the president, voted those cases will go to the da Silva, have been con- er probe, which focused on promises of "zero toler-
against putting Temer on ance" for corruption.q
normal court system. victed and jailed amid a on construction compa-
Explosion at Dominican plastics

company kills 4, injures 66

By DANICA COTO day's blast in the capital of able to identify two of the
Associated Press Santo Domingo, accord- four victims.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) ing to a statement from the Olivares said many workers
— Authorities in the Domini- National Health Service. survived the large explo-
can Republic said Thursday Among the injured are 13 sion at the Polyplas com-
that the death toll from children who were attend- pany because they fol-
an explosion at a plastics ing school nearby. lowed security protocols.
company rose to four and Edwin Olivares, sub-direc- Business owner Manuel
they continued searching tor of the Emergency Op- Diez Cabral tweeted that
for two missing workers. erations Center, told The 98 percent of staff mem-
Meanwhile, the number Associated Press that at bers were evacuated fol-
A black plume of smoke rises after an explosion at the
Polyplas plant in the Villas Agricolas neighborhood in Santo of injured rose to 66, with least two people are still lowing what he said was
Domingo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018. five people in critical con- missing. He also said that an "uncontrollable" gas
Associated Press dition following Wednes- officials have not been leak. q